The Keeper of Cerberus
by Loki's Fenris
Summary: Old friends show up at Seventh Heaven out of the blue. Secrets and painful pasts surface. Will the one she loved before remember her, and why has Chaos returned to Vincent? A new threat hovers in the distance and distruction is its promise. OC X Vincent
1. Rain Soaked Travelers

"It is raining again…" the blond turned to look back at the girl who spoke. 

A brunette with long hair and lavender eyes stared back at her, "I hate the rain…" 

The blond stood, running her fingers through the back of her short hair. It stuck out away from her neck, in what her companion called emo fashion, revealing crimson highlights. Her bangs were longest and hung away from the short back; they curled in under her chin, one side longer than the other. "Amaya you are just sour from bad memories," the blond pressed her hand against the cold glass letting her grey silver eyes trail the raindrops that rolled on the opposite side. 

"I don't know how you can be so indifferent Fye," Amaya often called her silent companion Fye (Pronounced Fi –the I has the long sound-) a short version of her actual name Faye. 

Faye shook her head, "I have just accepted what has happened and moved on." 

"But it still haunts you," Amaya answered her fingers mindlessly caressing a small scar that ran across her cheek. 

"I see it still bothers you," Faye changed the subject swiftly; "I thought I told you to move on and not dwell?" 

"Yeah it's not easy you know," Amaya turned her lavender eyes away her hand falling to her side. 

"You do not think I know?" Faye inquired turning to lift her shirt so the brunette could see the thin nearly invisible scar that ran her side. She rolled up her sleeve to show the scars there. "Would you like I continue?" Faye now pulled at her collar. 

"No! Please…" Amaya turned away. 

The room was silent as Faye looked at their surroundings. They had taken refuge in the broken down shack because Amaya had asked. The walls were crumbling and there was no door allowing a cool draft of air. The only window that was still intact was coated in dust and grime. "We should be on our way… we have been away for to long," Faye pulled her coat tightly around her. 

Neither girl was dressed normally. Faye always wore a pair of form fitting black leather pants, which she had turned into what her adopted brother used to call bondage pants. Buckles lined the legs, two on each thigh and one around her waist. To match that, she wore a black wife beater tank top that usually hiked itself up slightly around her thin waist. Her trench coat, which was usually buckled down to her waist unless in battle, hung open at the top and brushed the floor as she stood. She wore a pair of black, knee high, buckle up boots. Hidden under her long coat was the holster strapped to her right thigh, holding her trusted pistol of custom make. If one were to try and strip her of weapons they would find an arsenal, along with the pistol on her right thigh she had one on the opposite side to match, and a pair tucked into her belt. Finally she had a reddish ribbon tied around her wrist.

Amaya was a more girlish dresser. She was less fight comfortable going for her looks instead. Her tight little purple tank top could have passed as a bra. She accented that with a pair of black shorts that were tiny. Faye was constantly giving her shit about her outfit. She wore a pair of combat boots reaching about mid shin, and a set of katanas strapped to her back in an X. She too wore the reddish pink tie but around her throat. Her gloves were full and went full up her arm to her elbow where she folded them over once. She held daggers in her boot tops and one at her belt, ready for action at any moment.

Amaya looked at the floor, "Do you think they will remember us?" 

Faye paused in buckling her coat and looked over at the taller girl, "We only know Cloud, Beret, and Neneki." 

Amaya nodded, "but … we haven't seen them in so long, do you think that they will remember us?" 

Faye gave a soft sigh, "It is not likely they forgot about us…" She moved to where the door frame was being pelted with rain. "If the rain doesn't let up by the time we make the Forgotten City we can stop there," Faye moved into the dull world outside and turned her face up to the rain. Amaya followed her, reluctant to leave the dry room. Faye moved toward the destination at a steady pace always constant.


	2. Have You Ever Been In Love?

I guess now would be a good time to explain a bit about these two. Fye and Amaya are both members of AVALANCH. They joined up after the incident that took Aeris and Zach. Faye was rather close with Zack, and she had often turned to Aeris for support with problems. She had been there when Zack passed, and not long after she fled. She ran away to become a memory. Happily Ever After didn't have the same ending planned for her as it did for others.

Amaya had stayed to support Aeris, but when the time came for Aeris to leave as well, Amaya took to the road leaving everything behind. Faye met up with her one day and she discovered that she had fled for much the same reasons. They traveled together for a while, before sinking into the fabric of the life around them. Word of Sepheroth's return had reached them only after the dilemma had been solved. They now traveled toward the city of Midgar. Faye had agreed that they had been gone for long enough, and she had gotten word of something as bad if not worse than Omega. Cloud would need to know this when time arose to speak of it.

Ahead of them the forest was gleaming in the hazy sheets of rain. "Faye… have you ever been in love?" Amaya asked.

Faye sighed; she had been on this love trip for a while now it was bound to come up. "Once… a very long time ago," Faye replied ignoring the way her bangs stuck to her cheeks and chin with the rain.

Amaya was shocked, "really? I bet he is handsome, who is he?"

Faye let her eyes fall to the ground before her, "He… it does not matter, it was long ago, and besides he was killed." Amaya fell silent.

They moved through the first few trees and came to a road that led through the center of the forest. Faye moved past it and through the sparse underbrush. She paused at a lake. Sitting against the trunk of one of the large glowing trees, she watched as the rain drops danced ripples on the waters surface. Rain still reached her. She was already drenched and her cloths stuck to her slim body. Amaya was trying to use a rock for shelter. With a sigh Faye shook her head and stood, "I was wrong, you will die of hypothermia, let's get to Edge." Amaya nodded and moved to stand beside the blond.

She looked over at Faye; the silent silver eyed girl seemed to care nothing of the rain and cold. There was so much she wanted to know about the woman who had become her closest companion, but it was unlikely it would come simply on request. One thing she had learned was that Faye was a person of few words when it came to her past. She spoke freely around those she knew well, and even let a bit of joy slip into her otherwise serious voice and outlook.

* * *

"So Cid anything new?" the woman standing behind the bar questioned. The blond wearing goggles atop his slicked back short hair turned to the brown eyed woman. "Nothin' much, just the usual," Cid replied a cigarette dangling from his lip.

A large dark man came in and slapped his metallic arm on Cid's back, "Just glad things slowed down right Tifa?"

The woman nodded and turned toward a blue eyed man with gravity defying hair, "Cloud, the gang is all here so what are we going to meet about this time?"

Cloud shrugged, "No idea just a day to hang out and talk I guess."

Yuffie grinned, "And play games right?"

Everyone sighed and shook their head at the childish girl. Everyone sat around and talked quietly.


	3. A Place Called Seventh Heaven

Faye pulled Amaya back as they entered the area of Edge.

"We don't even know where they are," Amaya said looking around.

"I remember something about Strife Delivery while we passed through Kalm, I think I caught the name of a bar too," Faye looked around as they walked. "That's the place," she nodded at a place called 7th Heaven. When they approached the door Faye noted the sound of Amaya's boots on the concrete. Inside movement cause her to stop and motion Amaya to be still.

* * *

Cloud noticed Vincent's eyes shoot to the door suddenly. "Someone there?" he questioned his friend. The silent man nodded without speaking. Cloud in turn nodded to Beret and took one side of the door his sword ready. The air grew tense and the conversations died as all concentrated on the door. Tifa let her hand fall to the nearest glass; she would throw it as a distraction should need be. Beret took the other side and nodded at Cloud when he saw the handle of the door turn.

* * *

Faye pushed her coat back away from her holsters and she gripped Wrath and Hell Raiser loosely. Amaya noted the way her friend was watching the change of light from under the door. The rain was still coming down in thick cold sheets, but neither let this faze them. Amaya gripped the sword above her right shoulder and stood ready. Faye could feel the tension in the air, she could smell aggression. She reached forward with the left hand and turned the handle. She threw the door back and stepped inside, drawing both guns. The movement was so fast that the door was opened and both pistols were pointed directly at the person on either side of her before anyone could realize what was happening.

The gunman in the dark corner had nearly missed this action, and found it hard to follow. The room was now silent, only broken by the steady sound of rain. Faye had her head down and her eyes were closed, letting the water drip from her face and bangs as she took deep steady breaths. She finally lifted her head and tilted it toward the shocked swordsman she had once known, she opened one icy silver eye and looked at him. She swung Wrath around her finger and mumbled, "Bang." He along with everyone but the one in red flinched. She tucked both guns safely into their leather holsters and ran her hand over her soaked hair.

"Where the hell have you been Shadow!?" Beret yelled relaxing. Faye winced at the nickname Beret had given her many years ago. "How are you Bear?" She returned the friendly gesture of name calling. She moved to the side to allow Amaya into the bar and out of the rain. Faye looked at Cloud her eyes blank and cool. He returned her gaze, but rimming his eyes was sadness and pain.


	4. That is Vincent

"_**Come on this one next!" Zack dragged her to another shooting station. **_

_**Cloud shook his head, "too much alike." **_

_**"They are rather like brother and sister aren't they?" Aeris stated a smile and laugh gracing her face. Cloud nodded at her before turning to watch his friend drag Faye around the stations, testing her skill. They did this to each other once a month it seemed, and every time it seemed the same. **_

_**Suddenly Zack cried out, "DON'T CALL ME ZACHARY!" The two of them wrestled around for a while laughing and screaming. Then they returned to the shooting stations. **_

Cloud came out of his flash back when she sighed.

"Do not look at me like a lost pup Chocobo," her voice was stern and her eyes narrowed. She placed a hand on his shoulder and moved so Amaya could hug him.

Amaya looked around and asked, "Where is…" She was not able to finish her sentence as a child came racing toward them and practically tackled Faye.

Faye folded her arms around the girl and held onto her. "Where did you go!?" she sobbed into Faye's coat.

Faye stroked the girls' hair, "forgive me."

"…Marlene," Amaya finished with a sigh.

Faye's eyes softened as she held the girl, "You are going to get wet little one."

"You didn't even say goodbye…" Marlene wrapped her hands in Fayes' trench ignoring the cold water that soaked into her cloths.

"You will get sick," Faye pushed her away from her to arms length. Marlene's big brown eyes looked up at her. Beret took his daughter into his arms and nodded at Faye. She returned the nod and moved to where cloud was talking with the woman standing behind the bar.

"Faye this is Tifa," Cloud introduced them. Faye extended her hand for her to shake.

"You are part of AVALANCH?" Tifa asked seeing the ribbon around Fayes' wrist. Faye nodded her head and looked back at Amaya who was talking with a girl with short black hair and a head band.

"That is Yuffie, she is a bit hyperactive," Cloud commented.

"Hey babe, names Cid," the blond sitting at the bar next to her saluted her.

She nodded, "Faye… not babe."

Cid laughed, "Me 'n you will get along just fine." Faye noticed a familiar flaming tail from the corner of her eye.

She knelt and couldn't help but caress the soft red fur as the cat pushed his head into hers in greeting, "we have much to catch up on Fye."

She nodded, "we will find a time to catch up Nene." Behind Neneki was a small black cat with white belly, and muzzle. Atop the cats head was a crown and to add to that a cape was tied around his neck. Faye raised her eye brow at the creature.

"Cait Sith at your service lass," he gave a dramatic bow.

"Pleasure," she said and turned her attention to Cloud.

"He belongs to Reeve," Cloud said setting a glass of whiskey in front of her. Faye unbuckled her coat and pulled it from her body. It peeled away reluctant to leave her due to the water.

"Here let me hang that so it will dry," Tifa stepped up and took the trench coat, "Surely you would like something dry to change into?"

Faye shook her head, "I will be fine."

Her eyes caught someone in the corner, a flash of deep radiating crimson. Her own eyes flashed in the dim light a small trace of blue fracturing the perfect steal gray. She locked with the crimson orbs of the man who had been sitting quietly in the corner. Long black hair fell around his face and shoulders, his brow hidden beneath a band of red. There was a slight flutter in her heart but she wouldn't have recognized it even if she had felt it.

"That is Vincent," Cloud noted the way the two were staring at each other. The name sent her mind reeling.


	5. Memories

She had been years without having to think of that name and though it still hid in the depths of her mind she had moved on, accepting what had happened to the person who owned said name. She looked over at Cloud, pulling her gaze from the one that assaulted her with suspicion, "What…?"

"His name is Vincent Valentine," Cloud nodded toward the gunman.

Faye shook her head, "No you must be mistaken." Cloud looked at her his brow furrowed in his confusion. "Valentine died many many years ago," Faye said images cramming one on to of the other in her mind. Cloud shook his head. She began to lose focus.

'_What is the matter Fye?_' a smooth voice echoed in her head.

'Nothing Shadow,' Faye held her head and blinked to clear her vision.

'_I can stop this if you ask it of me,_' the voice replied.

'No … let it come,' Faye braced herself the best she could. Things began to spin and pain slowly crept into her head. She gasped involuntarily as her vision fled away.

Amaya noticed Faye gripping at her head, "Fye?" She was breathing quickly between clenched teeth. "Don't fight it Fye you know it just makes it worse," Amaya said as she moved to support her friend. Faye doubled over and nearly toppled from the chair. Amaya caught her as she fell and sat with her on the floor. She held tight as Faye twitched and curled into a ball.

"What is happening?" Cloud asked.

"Memories, every once in a while things trigger them and she goes into a flash back, seeing old friends must have triggered something," Amaya looked up at the others gathered around her.

Faye stood back ignoring the pulse of emotions that begged to come up in her mind as she waited for the past to reveal itself.

_**Everything blurred ever so slightly as she stood straight. Her vision was distorted a bit by the bubbles in the mako surrounding her. She glanced around taking slow shallow breaths. Dr. Crescent was standing in front of her with a clip board, "How are you feeling Faye?" Faye scrunched her face slightly at the tug of a tube that had been inserted into her arm. Crescent spoke gently to her, of how her heart rate fluctuated as she slept and how the shadow cells within her were growing strong. Faye didn't care for it; she didn't care for being here either. She watched intently as a man moved from the shadows forward sporting the attire of a Turk. His fierce but gentle eyes looked up at her and she stared back into his soul through half lidded eyes. His black hair hid his gaze from her when he whispered to Lucrecia. She knew they were having problems, he felt for her and she could see this in the way he looked at her. But Faye saw something differently about him. He was not meant for her, and she could not be with him of her own reasons. She watched many times as they spoke and she saw many times the pain on his face. Once she was taken from her tube of water, to breathe freely while she was cut into. She cried out in pain screamed and begged tears pouring from innocent human eyes. He was on her mind, always haunting her dreams and thoughts. She could not shake him no matter how many time she tried he would not leave her heart un-shattered. Eventually she became the weapon they needed and as she lay on the table her cries of pain and rage ringing through the halls of Shin-Ra her tears no longer stayed as liquid but turned to a solid spherical crystal as they dropped from her face. A lot of the times the tears were crimson much like blood that fell from her demon eyes. One day upon waking in her suspension tube full of bubbling mako she heard the two arguing about experimenting on an unborn child. Hojo, the one who had found Faye, came in and shot the one Faye had come to know was Vincent Valentine, the one her heart begged for. She cried out, screaming, "NO! Vincent…!" The first time she had spoken since her capture. She let the Shadow genes they had put in here take over, and she went on a bout of destruction. The torment and torture continued for many years after that, but she was dead to it all with the help of Shadow what she would now call her demon, Faye dropped into a state of hibernation.**_


	6. Arguments

(rating cames into play for a bit of language here)

Amaya struggled to hold Faye as she thrashed about. Suddenly she screamed out, "No!" and as her voice trailed away she mumbled, "Vincent…"

Cloud looked over at the man in red one eyebrow raised in question. Vincent stood and motioned them to follow, "she can stay in my room." Amaya lifted her friend with little trouble and carried her up the stairs to where Vincent was holding open the door to a room. She laid her on the bed and took the time to adjust some of her weapons. She removed the two guns from the back of Fayes' belt and laid them on the bed next to her. She then moved away and to the door, she paused, "thank you…" Vincent was a bit shocked but he shook it away as he sat in a corner of the room.

He had been sitting there for a while when the door opened and Marlene came running in. She moved to sit next to Faye on the bed. Fayes' hands unconsciously gripped the gun and moved them to the pillow away from the child. Marlene curled up next to her and clung to her side. Vincent watched her silently and the way she moved to protect the girl even in the state of unconsciousness. He closed his eyes and folded his arms settling in behind his collar to rest.

Faye stirred and turned over to pull the warmth next to her closer the girls familiar sent filling her nose. She opened her eyes and moved only enough to place her spare guns back into place at the back of her belt. The room around her was sparsely decorated, a dresser and closet next to a door where she supposed the bathroom was located. The bed was covered in crimson to match the dark walls of the room. "He died…you know as well as I he was dead," she said to the voice in her head.

Vincent watched her still unseen in the dark corner of the room. "He was in love with her… never me…How could I have grown so close… I don't even remember past that first day in those damned tubes," she was talking to herself, arguing was more to the affect. She growled low in her frustration. "Shut up, you know nothing," She growled. He felt the urge to chuckle at her, she sounded much like he could imagine he and Chaos sounded when they argued. "What are you mumbling about gunslinger?" He asked his voice cool and emotionless.

Faye fell silent and growled, "Fuck." He stood and left the two girls curled on his bed. He made his way down stairs to where the others sat around the bar talking with Amaya. "She alright?" Cid asked as he noticed the gunman moving toward them. Vincent closed his crimson eyes and nodded. Tifa sat a glass of whiskey down for him and he took a sip of it. "Did anyone notice she called out Vincent's name?" Yuffie asked from where she sat on the end of the bar. Beret nodded, "What's so bad about her past anyway?" he paused, "has anyone even known what her past is?" Everyone shook their heads. Cloud sighed, "That information died with Zack." "She doesn't talk about it… and don't ask her about it either, she will just go on about not dwelling in the past," Amaya replied swirling the remnants of her wine in the bottom of the glass.


	7. Practice

"Well let's retire for the night," Tifa said softly seeing that it was well into the night. "Vincent you can take the spare room where she would be staying," Tifa offered. "I will be fine," He said as he moved away from the bar and toward the door. Everyone moved to their rooms in the upper story of the bar, and Tifa turned off the lights waving goodnight to Vincent as his crimson eyes flashed and turned away.

Morning came early and Tifa met Vincent downstairs where he was seated at the bar. The others followed slowly until all but Faye and Marlene were gathered at the bar. "She still out?" Cloud asked as he watched Tifa run about behind the bar. Tifa nodded, "Marlene is curled up with her too." Beret smiled at the idea of his little girl being happy again. "So what happened? That she run off like she did," Cid asked. "She took off after Zack died," Cloud said softly. "She just come running, crying about leaving her alone just like everyone else… and we never seen her after that," Beret stated. "So she was close with Zack then?" Yuffie asked. "He adopted her as his sister pretty much," Cloud mumbled.

"He and Marlene were the closest to a family I had," Fayes' voice startled them as she moved down the stairs. Marlene was clinging to her back and she adjusted the girl when she sat down so she was cradled in her arms. The room was silent and her now solid blue eyes scanned them. "Tifa have you seen Marlene?" A boy was standing on the stairs. "You must be Denzel," Faye said as she looked at the boy, "Marlene has told me of you." Amaya smiled gently, Faye had not spoken so much since… well since forever, though her voice was till neutral and revealed nothing of her emotions. "Eat some breakfast and then we can go, I promised Marlene I would take you out today," Faye said moving so Marlene could sit in her seat and eat something.

Denzel came to sit next to her and Faye moved away where she could lean against the wall on the far side. Amaya stepped up beside her, "let's go out and practice while the kids eat hm?" Faye nodded stepping away from the wall and toward the door, "anyone else coming?" Everyone but Tifa nodded and followed them out the door. Tifa stayed behind to feed the kids.

"Alright Fye lets go," Yuffie stanced in the open field. Faye took her time to swap her usual bullets for some rubber tips. She sat a belt with her ammo on the ground next to Amaya and loaded the cylinder of both revolvers with rubber bullets. She replaced them in the holsters and folded her hands behind her back. "Alright if you won't start," Yuffie launched herself at Faye her shuruken poised to kill, "I will." Faye remained still as the ninja sprang at her.

The others stood silently by watching. Amaya was smirking as she watched Faye stand stoically in the heat of battle. She stepped away as Yuffie slashed down with the sharp point of her star. The ninja slid to a stop behind her and turned. Faye remained still and relaxed. Without her coat she could move easily to her guns and her body silhouetted smooth in the morning light. Yuffie leapt again and Faye stepped out of the way and stuck her foot out. Yuffie went sprawling on the ground. Faye crouched down her arms rested on her knees and waited for Yuffie to attack again. "Why won't you hit me?" Yuffie asked knowing full well that this gunslinger could have knocked her out both times.


	8. Shoot To Kill

"Why should I hit you when I can let you harm yourself?" Faye returned the question. Yuffie was confused as she sat up and dusted herself off. Without warning the ninja kicked out. Faye caught the foot in one hand barely inches from her face. Yuffie pushed herself off the ground and spun, kicking with the other foot. Faye caught the other foot and jerked her hand the opposite direction flinging Yuffie a good 50 ft away. The ninja landed and threw her star at Faye. Faye bent backward, the star narrowly missing her and flying away behind her. She righted herself and raised an eyebrow at Yuffie. A smirk played on the girls lips. Faye gave a sigh as her ears caught the sound of wind curling back over metal. She flipped back, landing on the center of the star sending it to the ground.

"My turn my turn!" Amaya called as Yuffie moved off in defeat. Amaya stood ready in front of her friend.

"You know I will use my guns on you," Faye let her hands fall to hover over her pistols. "Wouldn't want it any other way," Amaya smiled her hands resting along the handles of her katanas.

Every one moved back a little ways seeing how serious the two were. This time Faye launched, flying and swinging her foot out low. Amaya dodged and Faye flipped to jump at her again. Amaya drew both swords and slashed out. Faye dove and came up on the other side of her katanas.

Amaya kicked out and Faye jumped away. Amaya gritted her teeth, she knew that Fye was not trying her hardest. To her companion this was more play than anything. Amaya jumped after her and caught her off guard on her landing, cutting open the stomach of her shirt. Her stomach began to bleed, "about time you hit me." Amaya's smirk faded when Faye drew her left hand pistol and fired once. She could not follow the motion and before she knew it a searing pain pushed against her chest. She fell backward and lay flat on the ground. "Even," Faye said kneeling down next to her friend. She pulled her to her feet.

"Where did she hit you?" Yuffie asked looking for a bullet wound. Amaya pulled at the collar of her shirt, under her shirt there was a huge bruise bleeding only a little. The bruise was directly over her heart.

"Faye finds it hard to shoot other than to kill," Amaya commented. Faye tossed one of the practice rubber tip bullets to Yuffie to examine. "Let me tell you sometimes its worse than really being shot," Amaya grimaced. Cloud went next sparing against Cid. Faye watched with little interest as she spun the cylinder of her left hand pistol Wrath and flipped it shut only to break it open and spin the cylinder again.

In the end both of them wore down and it came down to Cloud taking Cid down…even though Amaya saw it as an accident. Vincent had been watching intently while Faye fought. He was suspicious of this woman, she hid something from everyone. Cloud nudged him seeing him watching Faye from the corner of his crimson eyes. Vincent looked over at the blond and sighed when he was motioned out to spar. Faye narrowed her eyes. 'Vincent could fight… at least the Vincent I knew could…let us see if what they claim is true,' she smirked as something in her moved anxiously. Amaya fidgeted nervously as she saw Faye step forward. "Be careful Fye, he will not play," Beret warned. Faye looked back at him, "I do not expect him to."

She flipped Wrath closed and slipped it into place at her side. Vincent stood still his cloak swirling around him hiding his arms from view. Faye shrugged, usually she watched her opponents' upper half, seeing as most moved from there, but she focused in on his feet. She relaxed, shifting her feet to get comfortable. It seemed like they stood like this for hours, just waiting. Cloud and the others grew anxious; something in the air told them it was a dangerous situation. Suddenly without warning the two images flickered and then disappeared.


	9. The Gun Battle

There were flashes of them locked in hand to hand for a start. Then Vincent was thrown backward. He flipped in mid air drawing Cerberus and firing one round, the others heard three shots. He landed and held his pistol at arms length. Faye fell to the ground, her form crouched and her face turned down. She stood and blood spurted from a gash along her exposed hip where her shirt had hiked itself up. The bullet had caught her along the hip and just barely inside her left arm. The blood stopped to a small drip and she broke her pistol open popping out two spent cartridges. Every one turned back to Vincent. He staggered a bit and gripped at his side, and then the second clasp holding his cloak closed shattered. "I missed…" Faye said blankly emptying the rest of her rubber tips into a pouch on her holster.

She moved away from him and strapped her belt back on reloading with her real bullets again. "Did you see how fast she is?" Yuffie asked excitedly. "She actually hit him… TWICE!" Cid said. Faye sighed, knowing Vincent's dignity was at risk and she turned back toward them, "I missed… he actually hit me." "But only a graze," Beret said tilting his head. Faye shook her head, "more than that, if I am not mistaken he was aiming to disable my mobility, after all a target that moves in reaction to the barrel of your gun is harder to hit than one who can not move away fast enough, a bullet to a ball and socket joint is more than painful, I would have been down to one leg, if his bullet hadn't deflected off the butt of my gun." She turned her pistol over to show the large furrow in the metal.

"But if you had been using real bullets you would have pierce his chest!" Cid exclaimed. "Take a closer look, it grazed along his chest as he turned caught the buckle at an odd angle, as for the other, Amaya told you I shoot to kill… take a look at where it his him," Faye moved back toward the bar. "Why are you refusing to be praised Yuffie asked her. Faye looked up at the clouds gathering in the sky, "When I have done nothing to be praised? You are young Yuffie; you will understand what it is when someone steals your win." Without another word she disappeared in a flicker of black.

Cloud moved over to Vincent who had returned to his usual demeanor. Sure enough you could see where the hot rubber had grazed his cloak. He could also see that the other had barely passed close enough to cut through the leather of his clothing and bruise just below the last rib. "She wasn't lying…how could she see that?" Cloud stated. "When you have spent so long behind a gun you know what a good shot is and what isn't," Amaya answered him.

Vincent played it over and over again in his head, had she even really shot at all? Everything moved in slow motion as he saw her stand and the blood on her side. '_She has skill_,' the deep voice ruptured his own thoughts. 'You pick terrible times to voice your opinion Chaos,' Vincent returned. Chaos laughed softly, '_well it is truth is it not_?' Vincent sighed and moved with the others toward the bar again.


	10. Ice Cream and Dragons

Inside Faye was letting Tifa look at both the bullet graze and the thin scratches from the swords. "Let me fix it," Tifa said standing upright. "It will be fine in a few minutes Tifa," Faye refused, "Come on, I said I would take you out." Faye now motioned to the children who sat on the stools. Both of them jumped down and took one of her hands before dragging her to the door. She looked back as Vincent and the others passed her, "We will be back before dark."

"She is fast Tifa, like Vincent!" Yuffie told the story of Fayes' spar with Vincent. "You should see what she did," Cid motioned toward Amaya who was gingerly tending to her bruise. "As deadly as ever," Amaya chuckled lightly, "she used ones with paint once, when she was finding a good substitute that flew similar to a real bullet. I would have really been sorry if she had used one of the rubber ones cause she got me square in the forehead." "She managed to hit Vincent," Beret stated. Tifa looked at Vincent who was deep in thought. "Actually she missed only hit him just enough to give him a little bruise, nothing that would have been deadly," Amaya corrected knowing Faye would have sighed and done it herself should she have been there.

They spent most of the day at the park playing games and enjoying the day. Together they now sat eating ice cream at a small but pleasant shop. She told them all about monsters she had come across and the many people who she had met. They sat and talked for what seemed like hours. She was open more though not much more, around the children. Soon though they found the sun starting to set and Faye told them to finish their ice cream. "I told them we would be back before dark," she said as they stood. Both children where tired and so she hoisted Denzel to her back and carried Marlene in her arms.

The conversation inside the bar was light and most everyone was getting to know Amaya better. The peace was suddenly broken when a familiar voice yelled, "son of a…." The phrase was cut short by a loud crash and gun fire. Everyone sprung to life and ran out the door. Vincent was brought immediately into battle when a shadow creeper leapt at him. Cloud was also put into a fight with a group of shadow creepers. Ahead the children were crouched together, Denzel guarding Marlene with his back. Tifa moved them away to safety quickly. Faye was standing up a head and she swayed a bit staggering to keep her balance. She gripped the side Vincent's shot had wounded but this time her side was sticky and shimmering with crimson. Ahead of her rose a great dragon, larger and far harder to get rid of than Bahumit had been. She shook the haze that crept to her vision and jumped headlong at the dragon.

She stuck to its head planting the barrel of Hell Raiser flush with the skull and pulling the trigger. She jumped away as the dragon swatted at the pain and shook his head. She stumbled on her landing and her knees tried to give out from under her. "My turn?" Cid questioned from next to her. She waved him on, "be my guest." Amaya was plummeting and Faye launched at her with her hand out, "put your hands out Amaya!" They gripped each others hands and Faye swung her body around to slingshot Amaya back toward the beast. Yuffie held her star steayd as Faye used it to rebound herself into the air.

Yuffie felt fear crawl into her mind when blood spattered the area around her. Faye shot again and again as the beast trying to fight the way her eyes blurred. The dragon moved back to regain its composure and Faye landed inside the circle of those gathered. She again stumbled, falling to one knee before forcing herself back up. Everyone looked at her and a few went pail.


	11. He Died

'My laps in judgment nearly cost the children their lives,' she thought looking down at her left hand which had been clamped over the wound. Blood coated it as she replaced it again. "You have been cut into pretty good," Beret said. Faye looked at him out of the corner of narrowed ice blue eyes. She was panting softly and losing blood. Suddenly she saw the dragon come up over the buildings, "move now!" She leapt away with the others just in time to evade the blast. A wolf jumped up and clung to the dragons head. It spoke in Zack's voice; Faye knew he had taken wolf form to watch over Cloud, "You must change Fye!" She shook her head, "No! She will kill them!" "You are bleeding to death!" The wolf scolded her for her stupidity. She wanted to panic but she had lost that long ago. She turned toward Cloud, "get everyone far away!" Cloud nodded and hurried them all away. When they were far enough away she gave in to the darkness in the back of her mind.

They had stopped and turned in time to see what seemed like a reversed explosion of light. Light was drawn toward where Faye had been. Then it exploded outward into darkness. They watched as the dragon cried out in fear and then slowly it began to sink into the ground. The children clung to Vincent who had allowed them to hide beneath his cloak. He rested his hand atop Marlene's head in reassurance. When the light returned to the area, they all started back toward the bar.

Neneki walked along side Vincent, as they neared the children went with Tifa inside. Ahead they could see Faye bent over and staggering but still standing, the dust began to clear away and then she fell. She lay in a heap on the ground unmoving as they approached. "She is alive," Neneki said as Vincent rolled the woman onto her back. Her eyes were open but glazed and hazy. Blood had dried on her pail face and flaked a little. Vincent lifted her gently, expecting her to curl against him, but her body went limp in his arms. "She is in a state of paralysis let's hope it wears off soon," Neneki said as he followed Vincent into the bar. Vincent took her up the stairs to the room she was to stay in.

She followed him with her now color fading blue eyes, until the door shut him out. 'Why didn't it hurt this time?' Faye tested her fingers, but they did not respond. '_Because you were already numb, your body was starting to die, I did not have to force my way out_,' Shadow replied in her icy smooth voice, '_so this man Valentine, he is not the same man I see in your memories._' 'He died, Crescent must have done something to him, or maybe Hojo, besides… he never had eyes for me like he did her,' Faye grumbled working her muscles.

'_He had eyes for you, but you were her experiment, and he could do nothing about that, so he pushed that away and masked it with feelings for her… not to mention he wouldn't remember you, I mean you don't look like you used to_,' Shadow sighed. Faye saw images of a girl with long curling black hair and glittering dark green eyes. 'Nearly 20 years in a tube of pure mako will have side affects,' Faye too sighed. Her eyes had returned to grey and she now let them trace the room, there was the wolf she knew was Zack. "You will be able to move within the half hour," he said staring at her. She let her eyes close and began to work her muscles back to life.


	12. You Get Used To It

Cloud ran to Vincent as he reemerged from the stairs, "What happened is she alright?" Vincent nodded, "She is alive but only just." "What happened she was covered in blood?" "She has a bad wound to her side," Neneki replied. "Did you fix it?" Cloud asked Vincent. "I can not do anything until she can move again," Vincent replied sitting in his corner his face half hidden behind his collar. "I think… it was our fault she got hurt…" Marlene said tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "What do you mean baby girl?" Beret knelt next to his daughter. "She was protecting us… and she put us down so she could fight it… but she realized we were still in harms way and was trying to get us farther away, the dragon grabbed hold of her," Denzel said. Tifa rested her hand on his shoulder, "she will be ok, she was doing what came naturally."

Faye watched as her toes twitched inside her boots, then her foot. "You are working it away faster this time," Zack had disappeared but she could still hear him. She worked her fingers, then her hand, her elbow, her shoulder. It was slow work that required immense concentration, with within half the hour she could move again. It was a stiff movement like she hadn't moved in years but it was better than nothing. "I am learning to dispel it but it takes just as long as it does if I had just let it work out on its own," Faye mumbled as she stood.

She sat upright on the bed… only to regret it almost instantly. She felt her side pull apart again and she clutched at it. She also noticed that her left hand pistol was missing. She blinked a few times to clear to blur the pain set into her eyes. She walked stiffly toward the door and then to the stairs. She wasn't bleeding like she had been but blood still slipped between her fingers. She held the rain as she swayed slightly her legs not used to weight yet.

Vincent could smell blood again and he looked around. Cloud noticed the sound of small short breaths coming from clenched teeth and moved to the stairs. "Faye you are up!" he said excitedly. She did indeed come staggering down the stairs clutching her side tightly and her face pale. Vincent stood when he noticed the blood on her hand, "You shouldn't have moved." She narrowed her eyes but stayed silent as he approached her. Tifa too came to stand with her using her arm to support the woman. "Vincent can fix it," She smiled over at her as she helped her to sit at a chair.

Faye nodded and pulled her tattered shirt up over her head, leaving her sitting there in front of everyone in her bra. Cloud and Cid turned away and blushed. "Still as shameless as always," Amaya said shaking her head. "When you have been shot up and sliced so many times and had to do it weather you like it or not… you get used to it," Faye mumbled leaning back so that Vincent could get to the wound easier. She felt her eyes soften as she watched him, she had missed him… the Vincent she once knew… but surely he had changed.

She sighed as the jagged gash closed over slowly, he had poured something onto it or that is what it felt like. She had looked up at Tifa who was standing next to her. His hands here now covered in her blood, but his eyes never trailed from his work. When he was finished he stepped away and made his way to a sink to wash the blood from his hands. Faye stood and pulled her shirt back over her head. She sighed looking down at the torn fabric. "Faye what happened to your shoulders? The back of your shirt has two holes in it." Tifa had noticed the area first. Faye grimaced internally at what had caused said tears in her shirt… she could not tell them yet. "I do not know," She pulled her shirt back over her head and tossed it to Amaya, "Throw that please." Amaya nodded and tossed the shirt away.


	13. Your Good Ace

"Do you see anything?" She asked looking back over her shoulder to see their faces. "Nothing… when did you get a tattoo?" Beret questioned his eyes tracing over the pair of intricate tribal wings the spread over her shoulder blades. "A reminder… I guess you could call it," She said. Vincent glanced at the tattoo as he passed again. "You didn't have to waist your energy on me…" Faye mumbled to him her voice remaining cool. "Don't worry Vincent is good at it," Yuffie smiled at her. Faye turned toward Tifa, "Tifa I will need to barrow your washer, and a temporary shirt replacement till I can get out and buy my own." Tifa nodded and motioned her to follow her up the stairs.

Faye reappeared in a small black shirt, and a pair of matching shorts, her right hand gun handing at her side. "Amaya, I must look for Wrath…" Faye said as she paused by the door, "I will return shortly." Vincent stood and followed her out the door silently. Cloud smirked when he saw Vincent trail her outside. Turning back to Cid they resumed their drinking game. Tifa turned her attention to Cloud and Cid, "It's not even lunch time and the two of you are drinking?" Cid grinned, "It's five o' clock somewhere darlin'."

Outside Faye had her hand curled around what was left of her pistol. "Basterd…" she mumbled and stood. "You know Mr. Valentine you are not as sneaky as you think," She said as his sent followed the breeze and caught her nose. "I am not trying to be sneaky," his deep voice replied, "Did you find the gun?" Faye turned to him and threw the grip and mangled remnants of metal at him. He caught it and examined it. "Does not matter, I only need one," Faye said moving toward him.

He tensed at her approach keeping his face hidden behind his high collar. His eyes peaked from behind his hair to look at her. She let her eyes flash momentarily at him and stopped a few feet from him, "how is your bruise?" "Gone," He offered in return. She nodded, "you are good Ace." With that she walked back toward the bar. Vincent took the remains of the gun in with him and tossed it away.

Once inside Faye stopped and turned to look at Vincent, "Let me have your cloak." Vincent narrowed his eyes at her. "I think it right I should fix the damage done," Faye extended her hand for it. He removed it and handed it over watching as she walked the stairs to her room. Cloud came in and sat next to him, "What is your interest in her?" "She is curious… something about her is familiar…" Vincent mumbled crossing his arms over his chest. Cloud laughed when a drunken Cid called out, "She is fuckin' sexy!"


	14. Dreams and Hunger

Faye sat down and looked at the cloak. She dug around in a bag for a buckle that would match the others. She began to mend the broken clasp and pull it back together. She worked for a few minutes and when it was done she held it up and looked at it. To her relief it matched perfectly and looked as though nothing had happened to it. She gave a nod of approval to her work. Peaking out the door she found the coast clear. She walked over to Vincent's door and gave a soft knock. When no answer came she stepped in and folded the cloak. She laid the crimson fabric on the pillow and left.

Vincent retired to his room later that evening. As he stepped into his room he found his cloak folded neatly on his pillow. He picked it up and examined the work. It looked like it had never been damaged, she had done well. He swung it up and around his shoulders and buckled the top closed. He leaned up against the wall and let his eyes close. Her scent held to the fabric around him and he furrowed his brow, it was so familiar. Before he knew it he had slipped into a light slumber.

**_"Vince!" The voice startled him from his day dream and he turned to see a young woman running toward him. Her green eyes glittered in the light of the morning, her long black hair swaying behind her in a braid. "Hey," he smiled. She reached him and bent over resting her hands on her knees while she tried to catch her breath, "what took you so long?" "Sorry Jasmine I got caught up with work," he said softly to her. She looked up at him, a broad smile gracing her lips, "it's alright." _**

**_There was a flash and the scene changed the girl seemed to be searching for something, running and calling out his name. Then another flash broke up the image and he was walking toward Lucrecia. She hugged him and he noticed a woman pressed against the glass of a Mako chamber. Her eyes bored into him an intense glowing green. She wore a small white sundress and her hair floated wildly around her, raven black. _**

**_He felt that he knew her, but all memory of her faded as he focused on Lucrecia again._**

Vincent's eyes shot open. The dream was not bad nor was it good; it only made his heart pound in his ears. He shook his head and took off his cloak and stripped to his boxers, before crawling into the bed.

Faye lay awake in her bed, a pulse of hunger beating at her mind. She knew she could not simply eat something to sate this hunger, because it was part of a great secret only two beings had ever been told. She turned onto her side and clenched the sheets of her bed. A rapid heart beat cut through the still of the night and the hunger in her mind gnawed at her to feed. She forced herself into her closet and locked herself there.

Amaya and Faye survived a month and a half among the group called Avalanch.


	15. Entertainment

Faye was sitting on a chair, balancing her remaining pistol, Hell Raiser, on one finger. The pistol was on its side and she spun it with her free hand. Getting bored of watching it spin she tossed it up and caught it on the barrel with one finger. She put the gun away and kicked back in her chair, holding herself on two legs. She placed her water bottle on her forehead and balanced that.

Amaya came downstairs and chuckled at her companion. She moved over to her and placed her cell atop the bottle. When that stayed balanced she placed her dagger atop that. Then an empty shot glass, then a saucer, then an empty beer bottle, and finally a bouncy ball she had pulled from her pocket.

Faye watched lazily, staying dead steady on her balanced perch. "You got skill Fye, I don't know what type of skill, but skill none the less," Amaya laughed sitting across from her friend with her arms crossed. "Doesn't take much to entertain you does it?" Tifa chuckled from her seat at the bar. "Let's just see how long she can stay like that," Amaya smirked. Faye gave a sigh and looked up at the stack that remained still.

Cloud and the guys were returning from a small extermination mission. He was following behind Beret and Cid, Vincent was behind him with Red and Cait Sith. Faye, Amaya, Tifa and Yuffie had left later than they had, and it seemed as though they had chosen the harder mission. "Wonder when they'll be back?" Cid questioned thoughtfully. "I bet they don't get back till late," Beret laughed.

Cloud chuckled and pushed pasted them to the door. Upon looking inside all three men standing in the doorway gawked. The women had returned before they had. His eyes settled on a strange site, and it took a moment to register in his mind what it was. Faye was kicked back in a chair, her arms dangling and her head back, with a stack of objects protruding from her forehead.

He burst out laughing, nearly tripping over a chair as he entered the bar. "What the hell…" Beret asked as he looked them over. Yuffie had just joined in the fun and was placing various pens and pencils about the stack of objects now adorning Faye's head. "You are such a freak," Cloud said good naturedly. His dismal mood had lifted ever since Faye had shown up at the door. "I am bored out of my mind," Faye replied giving him a blank look from the corner of her eye as Yuffie balanced a pencil on her nose.

"So you stack things on your forehead and balance a chair?" Cid chuckled causing the unlit cig in the corner of his mouth to bob slightly. Her face remained blank as she let her eyes fall on him, still sure to keep completely steady, "You can blame the stack of shit on these two imbeciles." Vincent closed his eyes and shook his head, maintaining his silence, tough a curious amusement played in his crimson gaze.

"Anyone can do that," Cid teased her. Faye sat forward losing many pencils in the process but keeping the stack intact, she removed the stack and placed it carefully on the table. "Care to try Highwind?" She asked a smirk on her lips that didn't reach her eyes. Cid took up her seat and she placed the stack of objects on his forehead. The objects wobbled a bit but stayed in place. "See, no biggy," Cid grinned. " I was also balanced on two legs of the chair," Faye said to him.

As he tried to do that she turned toward a familiar sound. On instinct her hands gripped at the pistol grip at her thigh. Vincent was toying with his tri-barreled gun, Cerberus. She relaxed and stepped toward him. "Why are you bored?" Beret asked eyeing her, "you just got back from a mission." "I didn't even get to use my gun," Faye grumbled a bit sourly. "It's not good to keep a gunner cooped up for to long," Amaya giggled. Faye shook her head and continued toward Vincent. "May I? She asked laying Hell Raiser on the table in front of him.


	16. Something To Do

He looked up at her suspisiously as if trying to figure out what she was getting at, but he handed over his pistol. She looked it over. The gun was heavey in her hands, much more so than her own. She pointed it at the far wall and found it to be rock steady, and she knew just how deadly it could be in the hands of it's master. She broke it open and spun the cylenders, she took notice that one stuck. " The cylender is sticking," she told him noting the way he watched her. "May I fix it?" she questioned cautiousely. He narrowed his crimson orbs at her. "Please for God sakes just give me something to do!" She seemed a little desperat. He eyed her still unsure of his trust for her. "You can keep Hell Raiser for colateral," she said thought for a moment before getting up and walking out the door, her pistol gripped loosly in hand.

Faye ran up the stairs to her room, and returned with a box in hand. Taking up Vincent's spot she opened the box and sat the gun before her on the table. She began to carefuly dismantle the finely crafted weapon.

Cid finaly managed to get the chair up on two legs, only to come crashing down and sending the objects flying. The bouncy ball flew right for Faye. "Fye watch out!" Amaya called. Faye caught the ball in her free hand before it could send any pieces of Cerberus flying, without even looking up. "You cause something to go missing Vincent would kill me, then I would come back to kill you," she mumbled as she tossed the ball to Amaya and went back to cleaning the gun layed out on the table infront of her.

Cloud and Tifa watched Faye as she cleaned and pollished each piece of Vincent's weapon with delicate care. "She has such an intrest in him…" Tifa mumbled. Cloud nodded, "they are still unsure of eachother."

Faye found her mind wandering as she worked. For the past few weeks she found herself plauged by his image, not as he was, but as she saw him now. Her heart ached for what she had with him before he dissapeared. She pushed this away when he came back through the door. She had finished a few minutes earlier and now the gun was polished and fine tuned. She closed her kit of tools and stood holding the gun with her free hand. He came straight toward her. "Finished, the cylenders shouldn't stick any more, I cleaned all three barrels while I was at it," she said handing him the gun.

He looked it over, she had done more than fixing the cylender and cleaning the barrels, she had cleaned everything, and polished it to a brilliant shine. "You are skilled at many things Slinger," he told her. She looked away to hide her blush from him. 'What is that about?' she scolded herself for blushing. Something was pushed into her hands and she turned to find a box. Vincent was no where in site. She looked over at Cloud who was staring at her and the box. She was confused greatly.


	17. A Gift

She looked from the box to Could to the box, "what…?" She sat down where the tool kit was and sat the box down in front of her. A black ribbon held the lid in place, on one corner it was tied in a simple little bow. She pulled the bow and ribbon away then traced her hands over the box. Every one had turned their attention to her, but she was obliviouse. She carefully removed the lid and peaked inside. Her pistol lay on top of a folded piece of paper and a sheet of red silk.

She lifted the note and read it, unknowingly stroking her fingers over the silk.

"You do not have to do such things for me…Thank you.  
Valentine."

The name sighned on the bottom startled her. She took a moment to look the note over for any sign of it being a fake. The neat rolling scrall belonged to the man she once knew, it was not a fake. She felt her heart skip slightly at the thought, and then it sank when she figured it was just because she had done something for him… he did not remember.

She moved the silk aside and removed the contents of the box. What she had removed made her gasp, a finely crafted black, leather holster. It was set with a pair of shimmering silver wings the resembled her tattoo. The name Hell Raiser was scrawled along the inside of the leather. She stared in awe at it.

She stood, pulling her old cracked, brown double away and fastened the new single to her waist. The holster hung down at her thigh where she fastened it with two new shinning buckles. She dropped her gun into place and found that it fit perfectly. She fell back onto her seat her fingers mindlessly tracing the design of the wings. She looked down at it for a moment, and then up at Cloud. He was staring at her with the same face she stared at him with. "Wow…" they both mumbled at the same time. Everyone blinked a few times their minds still trying to register what happened. Yuffie was the first to speak up, "did Vincent… just give… someone a gift?"

Fye beamed inside as she got to her feet and grabbed up a pen from the floor. She went and sat on the bar. She doodled on her hand and stated with a happy sigh, " Amaya… I feel like singing again." Amaya's eyes widened slightly, Faye had not sung since she had been with Zack. She used to sing all the time just for him. "Then sing for me," she encouraged. Faye closed her eyes , " I'm tuggin at my hair, I'm pullen at my cloths, I'm tryin to keep my cool I know it shows."(Things I'll never say- Avril Lavigne)

The entire bar fell silent even the customers were quiet as she sang. Her voice, like a crystal goblet ringing as one trails a finger around the rim, resonated through the tavern. Everyone stared at her, Tifa was watching open mouthed, and Cloud was beaming knowing that she was happy, she only sang when she was happy. Amaya was lightly singing along.

When she finished she looked over at Cid, "would you get me a different colored pen if you wouldn't mind Flyboy?" "Flyboy?" Cid stood one eyebrow raised. Faye nodded, "please mister pilot?" She went and found a red and a blue pen to go with the black one she was using now. She thanked him and changed colors, then continued her doodle. Just then two men burst through the door.


	18. ShinRa Beckons

They both wore suites of black, she knew in an instant they were Shin-Ra Turks. Before anyone could see her move, Faye had drawn Hell Raiser and one of the spares at her belt. She stood behind them the barrels of the gun pressed tight against their heads. "Speak or I put a bullet in your brain," her voice came out ringing cold. The red head put his hands in the air, "Whoa, Whoa, Sister! Calm down." Faye had a distaste for Turks after having been ignored by every single one that came into the labs so long ago.

The blad one with sunglasses and many peircing was reaching for his weapon, but Faye nudged him with the barrel of her spare gun, "Get yout hand away fast enough and I will even give you a head start." His hand fell away with a slight grumble. "Nice reaction Faye, but its ok they are ok," Tifa spoke up, the worry of her killing one of them finaly breaking the surface. "That's good, because it would be a shame to waist a bullet on a Turk," she moved between the two and put her guns away.

"Damn! You got a good one, and she cute too!" the red head exclaimed. "Reno, shut up before she kills you, Rude what's up?" Cloud stepped in to speak with them. "Some problems in the area, President Shin-Ra would like to see all of AVALANCHE," the bald Turk stated. Faye stood, "I will find Nanaki and Valentine." "Meet us there?" Amaya asked. Faye nodded, "I expect he is still at the Healin Lodge," She pulled her trench coat on and buckled it. Faye left without another word. "She is a wild one," Reno commented. "To much for you to handle slick," Amaya giggled. "Besides, I think she has her eyes on a certin gunman," Cid said with a grin.

Fay followed their scents. First she came upon the great red feline laying lazily in the tall grass of a field on the outskirts of town. She layed out next to him. "What has sent you looking for me?" His voice was gentle and soothing. "Shin-Ra," Faye said with a sigh. "He can wait, I have not spoken to human cub of my family in a long time," the cat sprawled over her stomach. She rubbed her hand over the silky red fur, her fingers tracing the feathers in his short mane.

"What have you been doing?"Nanaki pushed his large head against hers. "Blending into memories…" She replied, "I basicaly dropped into nonexistance, and avoided anythign that would bering me back into reality." Nanaki nodded, "have you been well?" "I am now," she sighed relaxing into the tall grasses that smelled of sweet nectors.

They stayed there, speaking quietly about many things, laying out in the grass like they used to when they were back at the place Red called home. Nanaki had always been the closest thing to a father she had ever had, spending long,lazy hours laying in the grass talking. She knew him before anyone else, after all he had been the one to find her after her escape. He took car of herand introduced her to Cloud, Zack, and Aeris. She had even told him her secret, and he had kept it to himself.

Faye glanced up at the suns position, "They will not be happy if we do not arive." Nanaki stood, allowing her to sit up. "I will be there shortly Nana," she rubber her hand along his fur. He had never enjoyed being petted, but he allowed her to do it, it seemed to comfort her, and in turn it made him feel better. He nodded and turned away.

Faye was now in persuit of Vincent. His scent was strong in her nose and she felt his energy. Just past the edge of the Forgotten City she caught up with him. "Valentine," she called from her perch upside down on a branch. Vincent turned just in time to see her land gracefully on her feet. He noticed she wore his gife, and felt contempt enfold him.


	19. Phone Calls and Changes

He took his time to look at her. Her eyes shown a brilliant grey in the fading light, her coat clung to her body showing off every flawless curve. She froze when he took a step toward her. "What has you so far out Slinger?" he asked glancing around the area. "I came to get you, Shin-Ra says…" she was interrupted when a large paw swept toward her. She was caught by surprise and flung backward, she slammed into a tree. She staggered to her feet, her eyes wide and she was gasping desperately for oxygen. Her gun blazed away as the dragon dodged Vincent.

"I thought I got rid of you?" she yelled and leapt out at it. She reloaded and fired two rounds into the dragons head. Her cell buzzed in her pocket and she answered with her free hand as Vincent attacked the dragon. "Faye get your…" there was gun fire on the other line, " ass over here. Vincent or no we have a problem." "I am kind of," she fired twice, "busy here."

There was a scream and the voice on the other line cried out "Tifa!" Then the line went dead. "Fuck," Faye fired her remaining bullets and jumped back. "I don't have time for this!" She cried out in frustration. '_I need you Shadow…'_ she called upon the demon. '_Just the one again?' _the demon asked. '_No, Amaya needs help too,' _Faye said as she jumped away from the dragons swiping paws. '_Just don't kill my friends,'_ Faye looked toward Vincent who was a swirl of red cloak.

'_I will do my best to stay in control, but I can not promise you anything,' _the demon replied. She could feel Shadow gaining power inside of her. "Valentine! Stay out of my way!" The words were more of an angry growl than the desperate plea she had meant it to be. Her heart was gripped tightly in the hand of emotion when his gaze burned hatred into her, but before she could say anything Shadow had begun to take control.

He watched as she doubled over in pain her eyes closed tight and her voice caught in her throat. She began to shake and her hands were clenched tightly on either side of her head. Her hair grew long and curled, tipping with crimson, her hands clawed and a pair of vicious looking incisors cut down through her gums. Vincent was still as she stood upright. One wing burst from her back showering the area with blood. She screamed, her voice shaking and on the verge of tears. The second wing was much slower, and he could tell it was torturing her. She bit her lip to hold onto her cries and whimpers as pain worked its magic on her body.

The dragon leapt at her, hoping to take her off guard. She was swept backward by the blow and sent smashing through a tree. She staggered to her feet, her shoulders slumped, wings loose and dragging and her head down. Her breathing had become short and frantic. Her wings where snow white, almost blue, and it looked as though they battle worn flight feathers had been dipped in onyx paint. These feathers were not angelic, but rather demonic looking, sharp and pointed.

It felt as though she were being submerged in cold water. She struggled to breath, the water filled her lungs and caused her to panic. Suddenly she was in blackness. An image appeared before her, She saw Vincent come into view, his gun pointed at her center. "Damn it…" she cussed internally knowing Shadow would normally take defensive measures. She was utterly helpless now.


	20. Something Beautiful, Something Evil

(Please tell me what you think of the story so far...)

She turned and looked at him and her eyes went solid black. Her skin grew deathly pail and a chill filled the dark air. The dragon attacked and she leapt away, Vincent followed. "You would be wise… to point that "mutt" elsewhere," the voice coming from her mouth was sweet like honey, but cold and sharp. "What are you?" his voice held nothing. He flinched involuntarily when she fired her entire cylinder at the dragon, deterring it for a bit.

"I am Shadow that is all I can tell you," she replied her wings hanging loosely in her relaxed state the tips of the magnificent feather dragging the ground. "Now please remove your gun from my middle, Faye would never forgive me for killing the one she calls Valentine," Shadow reloaded the pistol and dropped it into its place at her hip. Vincent let his gun follow the dragon instead as the beast moved, its skin glowing with the light of the crystalline trees.

A white re-curve bow with black limbs formed in her hands, a black arrow tipped with a barbed razor point flashed to life between her fingers in a flurry of black flames. She darted forward firing one after the other. Each arrow found its mark in the dragon catching any flesh it could get into. Grace and agility shown in every movement she made. He jumped in and together they brought it down.

"The others," Vincent said. Shadow smirked deviously and backed into the darkness of the trees. She sunk into the darkness and was gone. Vincent sped toward Shin-Ra's Healin Lodge, his form nothing more than a swirled blur of red cloak.

Amaya clung to Tifa, her hand clamped tightly over the wound in her side in an attempt to stem the blood flow. Nanaki circled around them as the shadow creepers came closer. Cloud was holding off a woman in a blue kimono, Cid was battling one of three men, Beret shot at another, and Yuffie was fighting off the last one. Rufus and his Turks were holding off more shadow creepers.

After the first few minutes of trying to fight and stop Tifa's bleeding she abandoned her swords and stayed next to Tifa. "When will she be here?" Beret shouted, throwing a shadow creeper away from himself. "I don't know…" Amaya looked up at him with a hint of worry in her eyes. Suddenly there was a flood of new creepers and they took the chance to leap at Amaya and Tifa. Amaya wrapped her arms around Tifa and guarder her body with her back. Many startled cries rose up in fear, but she felt nothing plunge into her. There was no pain.

She turned ever so slightly to catch site of Faye's buckle up boots, trench coat and pistol at her thigh. White and black battle worn feathers obstructed her view. The person had long hair down to about her hips, that was tipped with crimson, this was not Faye. "Move her to a corner, Fye says it will be easier to guard her there," The mysterious person spoke a slight growl evident in her voice. The shadow creepers yielded to her and disappeared, leaving the strange woman in blue and a few others.

One of the men ran at her a sword drawn and poised to strike her down. She caught him by the neck, "rash move fledgling it will cost you your life." She made one swift twitch of her hand and the males head snapped nearly completely off. Blood bubbled up and spilled over her hand, staining it. Amaya looked on, she saw not Faye, but something powerful, beautiful… something evil.


	21. The One She Calls Valentine

(Warning! This has mature content in it. Violence and sexual themes)

Shadow smiled wickedly when the other two men tried to run. She lunged forward in a flowing motion tearing out ones throat and the others heart. The organ pulsed in a delayed reaction in her hand. She tightened her grip, crushing the bleeding heart before dropping it to the ground. Vincent held the others away knowing she was unstable in her current state… she would kill anything that got into her way.

Finally it came down to the strange woman and she turned slightly asking, "Tell me about who sent you." The woman held her ground, her eyes narrowed into thin slits, "We were sent by Flint… and Master Hojo." Rage filled Shadows mind and she shot forward propelled by Faye's anger. Vincent also battled his emotions to stay in control. _'Kill her!' _Faye yelled inside Shadows head, _'Consume her!' _

Shadow was behind the woman within a split second, her arms wrapped around the woman's waist. "You smell exquisite," Shadow's voice held a deep lust, mumbled as she nuzzled into her neck. Seduction was not a problem, her voice wove the spell perfectly. The woman tilted her head to the side, stifling a moan as she leaned into Shadows hand.

Shadow kissed her jaw line, shoulder and neck. The woman shivered involuntary. It was difficult to control herself, every rapid heart rate in the room was enough to drive her crazy.

The need for blood began to gain control and she sank her fangs deep into the vain pulsing life below her lips. '_Faye if this does not sate me, take control or I fear you will lose someone close,' _Shadow told her, drinking deep of the crimson fountain at her mouth.

Vincent felt his demon stir as the winged creature seduced the woman. '_You should…'_ Chaos began but Vincent cut him off, 'Shut up.' '_Oh my God that's sexy!' _Chaos cried when the demon bit into the humans neck. 'A Vampire…' Vincent told himself pushing Chaos back into the shadows of his mind.

The body was drained of life, the final heart beat pumping every memory into the vampire. Pain surged over the blood lust. To subdue a cry she clamped her teeth firmly against the cold flesh. Her wings flared a bit, before going ridged with the force of the pain. When it had died away she opened her eyes and released the body. It fell with a hollow thump. Her eyes were glazed over, dull with no shine. Blood dripped from her chin, and the smell drove her on. Faye knew it would take a bit to gain the power to take over again, and dread spread over her as Shadow moved toward Vincent. With the hunger burning in her mind, she just knew that Shadow was going to kill him as well… served her right for not feeding properly.

"Who are you?" Cloud demanded his face betraying his fear. "Valentine…" she mumbled looking up at the gunner, "I can not harm the one Faye calls Valentine…" She found his eyes captivating. They burned with secrets, mystery, so brilliantly colored she fell into them. Spiraling into his mind, into the hidden places of his heart, into his soul. She forced her eyes away from his, "but this hunger will drive me insane!" She whipped away from him moving on the nearest person.

Cloud found himself held captive from behind. A cold chill ran the length of his spine when her hot breath broke over the curve of his neck. His heart was pounding wildly in her ears as her lips hovered ever closer to the vein in his neck. '_Hurry Fye!' _She thought desperately.

Shadow was unlike other demons for the most part. She was caring toward her vessel. As she explained it, it was because Faye had given her a solid form again. She was more than happy to oblige to Faye's requests as long as she could keep herself in complete control. But things don't always go as planned… now do they?


	22. I am Shadow

Everyone became frozen on the spot, even Shin-Ra was still. Her fangs were nearly piercing his skin when suddenly she stopped, "Tainted." She mumbled, "Janova cells run in your body." She forced herself away from the enticing smell of blood pulsing from everyone around her. In an attempt to sustain her bloodlust she licked slowly at the crimson that coated her hands. "You asked my name, I am Shadow," her voice was thick with her need for blood. "Where is Faye?" Amaya demanded.

"She is safe within this body," Shadow answered. "What is she?" Beret asked. Shadow gave a low growl, " That is not for me to answer." Her growl frightened them and the sudden thudding heart beats spiked the hunger in her mind. She gave a soft groan and sank her sharp fangs into her hand to control herself. One heart rate caught her attention, it was slow and calm.

Her eyes flashed solid mercury silver as they settled on Vincent. She released her hand and forced herself from his gaze. Her own bright crimson blood dripped down her arm. She swirled her tongue over the punctures and sealed them, before resuming the cleaning of her fingers and hand. "She is gaining control again," Shadow mumbled, "let me see the one who was injured."

Amaya narrowed her purple eyes at the demon and shielded Tifa with her body. "Faye is subduing the hunger, and I promised her that everyone would be alive when she woke," Shadows voice became imposing. Amaya carried an unconscious Tifa forward. In one fluid motion Shadow had smeared the wounds with her saliva. Before anyone could gross out the wound pulled closed.

"She will be under a temporary paralysis upon her return, she should be able to move in less than an hour," Shadows eyes started to fade and her wings started turning grey. There was a flurry of feathers as the wings disappeared and Faye was back. She fell forward landing in an unconscious heap on the floor.

Vincent stepped forward and picked her up before anyone could move. He carried her away into another room. "Lay her there," Rufus Shin-Ra motioned to a couch against the far wall, Tifa was settled into a chair where Cloud sat with her. Vincent gently lay Faye on the couch and then leaned against the wall in his characteristic way, one boot crossed over the other, rested on the tip of the golden plating. "A new threat is arising, possibly like Omega," Rufus let his eyes glance sideways at Vincent. He was setting a top his desk, one leg crossed over the other. "Who is this Flint guy yoh?" Reno inquired. "He was my ex…" the voice startled all of them.


	23. Hold Your Tongue Or I Will Cut It Out

Faye could hear them moving about and talking. She struggled feverently to dispel her paralysis. Soon it was gone and she could move stiffly. "Who is this Flint guy yo?" She recognized the voice as belonging to Reno. She sat forward and closed her eyes against the brightness of the light in the room. Shadows hunger pulsed in the back of her mind. "He was my ex," her voice was weaker than she would have liked. Everyone looked at her, even Vincent chanced to glance at her from the corner of his eyes.

"You are moving so soon," Shin-Ra stated. She gave him a glare but ignored his comment to instead rest her head in her hands and her elbows on her knees. " You have a lot to explain my dear," Rufus folded his hands in his lap, a cocky look playing his features. In an instant she was at his throat, her hand was clamped tightly around his throat, and her pistol was pressed firmly to his head.

"Hold your tongue worm or I will cut it out," her voice was mixed with the deeper voice of Shadow. Her eyes were not simply the steal grey they usually were, but instead there was black bleeding into the iris. "You wouldn't kill me," he sneered. "What has you to think I wouldn't?" she growled, her finger tightened ever so slightly on the trigger.

"Faye…" Cloud started toward her. "Don't move Chocabo," she growled, " this is nothing of your concern." "You have no reason to kill me," Shin-Ra boasted. "You do not know when to shut up, you don't know what to say and when you can say it, you don't have any respect for a being that could easily kill you, you are an idiot, and you called me dear… that is more than enough reason…"Faye's voice rung clear and cold. He flinched when she pulled the trigger and only gained a click in response. He let out a laugh, "See you couldn't kill me." She cocked the revolver again and shoved the barrel already flush with his skull a bit harder.

Footsteps sounded from behind her, she could hear the rippling of a tattered cape as it swirled around his feet. An arm folded around her waist and another reached out to grip her gun hand gently. The golden gauntlet was cold and familiar against her stomach. Memories she had long forgotten flashed in her mind.

**__**

"Hold it steady," his voice was warm against her neck and ear. She nodded in a determined way and held the pistol out at arms length, as steady as she could make it. A warm arm was wrapped comfortingly around her hips, his warm fingers tracing small circles over her soft, exposed skin on her side. "Now aim at your target," his lips moved against the nape of her neck and she lost concentration for a moment. Her hand quivered and his other hand came up to support hers. "Squeeze the trigger," he told her. She set her eyes and pulled the trigger hitting dead center.

She gasped when she noticed that she had hit the target dead center. "I HIT IT!" She stammered, spinning around in his arms to wrap her hands around his neck, being careful of the pistol still held in her hand. He smiled a breath taking smile at her, his crimson eyes gleaming joy behind his short almost emo hair. "Thank you so much Vincent!" She stated grinning. "You are very welcome Jasmine," his voice was happy.

The hand holding her gun fell to her side, and she carefully released the hammer as she slipped the pistol into the holster. "Just relax," Vincent said to her, though he was not as close to her as he had been in her flash back… she could still feel his hot breath on the back of her neck. She glared at Rufus and squeezed enough to make him grip her hand as he struggled for breath. She shoved him roughly backward trying to topple him from his perch, but he caught himself on the edge of the desk. She let Vincent lead her back to the couch where she sat down. She broke open the pistol and removed the shell that should have fired into Shin-Ra's head in a glorious splatter of grey matter. "A dud," she stated tossing the shell clearly marked where the firing pin creased the soft brass. "You really tried to kill me," Rufus stammered. "You really are an idiot aren't you?" Amaya asked in defense of her friend.

"Like I said… Flint was my ex," she spun the cylinder and clicked the gun shut, slipping it back into the black leather, "We were only together for a good week tops… I should have killed him when I got the chance."


	24. So You Don't Remember After All

Another memory flashed in her line of site, the images playing in front of her eyes on the floor like they were shot from a projector somewhere behind her head. **_"Cheating bitch!" His voice cut through the thick air like a knife. She could practically see it trying to slash away at her. "He is my brother Flint!" she raged right back in his face. She was knocked off her feet when he hit her. "Liar!" He snarled down at her. She got to her feet, a bruise already forming under her eye where he had hit her, "How would you know… you are always off with you little Fuck buddies." _**

She stared off into space, her eyes burning holes in the wood of the floor. She felt her cheek tingle, and without realizing she reached up to touch it tenderly with her fingertips. "You alright?" Cloud asked, seeing the distraught expression playing her face. She snapped back to reality and jerked her head to look at him. She gave a quiet nod.

"What are they up to?" Shin-Ra asked, obviously not getting the hint from her former actions. "From what I have gained from the woman back there, he is working with Hojo on a project that is somewhat like Omega… no… its different," she probed the memories that would soon be packed away with the rest of them.

"A weapon… though it is not for just the planet…" she paused and furrowed her brow a bit, "it will take few of those not pure of heart…and then the second weapon, fused with the first, it will absorb a few purity souls…" She looked up at Shin-Ra. "They are going to recreate Sephiroth…and the remnants… they must be separated, neither are active, and they can not be until separated until they have something important… something the weapon reacts to," She pressed her hand to her head. " I do not understand, the thoughts are all jumbled… like they had been altered…or scrambled," she shook her head, " I can see no more than that."

"What are these weapons called?" Cait Sith asked. "Alpha and Beta," she answered standing. Her legs threatened to give way under her weight. She wobbled and held her hands out in front of her to catch herself if she fell. Vincent moved from where he leaned against the wall and stepped up next to her, lending a supporting hand to keep her steady. He helped her away from them and out the door, heading back toward the Seventh Heaven.

"I assume I will be interrogated when they get back…" she heaved a sigh, "bound to happen I guess." "they will not push you hard," Vincent's deep voice reassured. They stepped into the bar and Faye abandoned his hand for a firm grip on the bar. "What are you?" he asked. His back was turned to her. "Crescent and Hojo's play thing…their toy," She stated bitterly. He looked over at her, "were you?" "So you don't remember after all…"she said.

With shadows help she took on the body she had long ago possessed. Her eyes turned green, brilliantly neon. Her hair grew out and turned black, ending in perfect waves at her hips. He seemed frozen on the spot as he stared at her. " Do you remember now?" her voice was soft and sweet… just as it was in his dream the other night. "Jasmine…" He stammered over the name.

He was numb, standing right in front of him was a ghost from his past… one which he had long forgotten, "But how?"

He lunged for her and she stepped to the side tripping him. "I will kill every last one of those you are close to … heed my word you will be mine," he spat as he stood. That was the last straw, she jumped on him using her weight to pin him to the floor with her hands at his throat. She drew back her fist and struck him back, and squeezed the hand around his neck.

She could feel his windpipe caving to her. His throat was starting to yield to the pressure of her hands and she could feel it folding in on itself. He clawed desperately at her arms, flailing from time to time as his lungs shriveled. When he finally stopped moving she stood, and left, not really in the mood to kill him completely.


	25. Faye's Story

His voice was a deep whisper. "I was right in front of you … everyday you came into the lab and I was pressed against the glass of that chamber…"she was staring right through him. Her now brilliant green eyes glossy and clouded, looking through him at the wall as though he were not even there. " You always had something else on your mind…" she stated dryly as she reverted to her new appearance.

She closed her now silver grey eyes for a brief moment. Before she could calculate what was happening, she had been wrapped tightly in his arms. The smell of cinnamon met her bringing blurred memories, but it was mixed a little with the leather of his pants and shirt and the smell of gunpowder, which every gunner carried.

She relaxed, though only just, 'it feels…good to feel his arms around me again.' "I am sorry," he whispered against her ear. It sent chills down her spine and she shivered a big in his grip. She stepped away and rested a slender elegant hand along his cheek, "I have never blamed you." They quickly broke apart at the sound of footfall outside the door.

Immediately she was wrapped in a tight hug by many arms, "We are glad you are ok."

She stepped back again to give herself room, "take Tifa upstairs for the moment, she needs to sleep." "Don't worry me like that again!" Cloud demanded as Beret took Tifa up the stairs to her room. "You have no say in how or when I worry you," Faye chuckled mockingly at Cloud. Vincent chuckled to himself. "Now will you please tell us about your past?" Amaya offered.

She motioned them all to sit, and stepped back to sit on a bar stool. "I can not promise they will be happy memories… no there aren't many of those…" She said. They all nodded and waited for her to continue. "There are many things I do not remember, so many years in a prison of pure mako will do that to you," she mumbled as she felt Vincent move to the stool next to hers and waited for her to continue.

"I can just start where I remember…  
**_I had just returned from Kalm… I was looking for a friend. He had disappeared, I mean usually he returned after a few weeks to come see me. Not this time. I remember walking into my house and a sharp pain in my shoulder, then everything went black. When I woke I was strapped down to a stainless steal table. Looking over at one arm many tubes protruded from it, when I glanced at the other, I gained quite a shock. A small square of my skin had been pealed away and cut off. _**

She saw recognition in Vincent's eyes, if anyone else had caught on… they would never have to do anything about it. She shook her head briefly and wrung her hands like a washcloth. She looked back up at them.

"**_I remained in the chamber being filled with things, and soon I discovered I had a switch personality. I had also found my missing friend. He never seemed to see me… and I had to watch as he slowly suffocated my heart until it shriveled and fell away. _**

He never saw me as I was, he was always looking at her. He was infatuated, and everyday I saw him another piece of me fell away, and they grew closer.

Suddenly they began fighting, though I could not understand what because of the glass, I knew something was about to happen. A little later, Hojo found my friend alone and shot him in the stomach… I could do nothing… I watched him die… the very person I longed so greatly to see again passed away before my eyes." She paused and felt a comforting hand close around her own but she knew it was unseen, "After that… I let Shadow drop me into a slumber."

Struggling did nothing at all, if anything it only made me tired and made the ties uncomfortable. The first I saw was that of the abomination Hojo. He pumped me full of God knows what. After he had had his fun I was passed to Crescent. She was more caring and gentle, but I still had to go get my shot.

There was always a man with her… he was constantly apologizing to me. I always tried to tell him, "I do not blame you." He could be forgiven. I was then put into my mako chamber where they continued to pump me full of substances that burned and paralyzed. I watched the man I now knew as my friends father, pass away."


	26. Apologies

Vincent was no longer looking at her, but instead at the floor. She felt guilt rise in her stomach. Nanaki nodded for her to continue, even though there was little left to explain. "I …watched the single most important person in my life die…I should have told him… what I wanted to so long ago…" She felt the hand folded around hers grip tightly. She did not look up from the spot she focused on between her boots.

Everyone was staring at her, except for Vincent who was also staring at his feet. The silence that filled the room was broken when Cloud spoke, "So your friend is just like Vincent?" She could have fallen off the bar stool with his stupidity. She had made it as obvious as she could without blatantly saying that her friend had been the former Turk, Vincent Valentine. "Your head looks like a Chocabo …. But do you have the brain of one as well?" she asked in disbelief, her eyes blank and one eyebrow raised.

Vincent stood and left, his cloak snapping as he rounded the corner and disappeared up the stairs. The comforting hand that had gripped hers went with him. She heaved a heavy sigh, "so … now you know the terror of my past." Amaya came to her and folded her in comforting arms, "I am sorry." Faye did not move away like she normally would have, "it's ok."

"So … the alternate personality.." Yuffie began. "I call her Shadow, she is a vampire, and yes I have to feed on blood. If I don't she will lose all sense of being when she takes over my body…" Faye stated, "No I am not affected by the things that affect a Vampire such as light, and no I am not psychic." She moved away from Amaya, "but sometimes her hunger surfaces in me." She paused to listen closely to the silence, "right now I can hear every heart beat in the room… I can smell the blood in your veins." Cloud felt a cold chill run down his spine. Cid gave a curt nod even though he felt a twinge in his stomach.

She furrowed her brow and looked up, "I can also tell you that Valentine is talking to himself…"

She gave a bored yawn, and Amaya asked, "how often do you feed?" " I can go a good two-three months if I had to … I would have to lock myself away though, but usually about every two weeks, I take only enough to sate the hunger and then I erase their memory so that nothing is changed." She twitched her hand a bit, "besides it is painful to drain a body completely." Cloud seemed relieved. "But there is a time when it does not matter if I have fed…when it is a struggle to keep the hunger subdued, usually happens when the moon does not grace the stars, the new moon," With that said she turned and walked up to her room.

No one tried to follower her and she sighed as she fell back onto the bed, the room next to hers growing silent. '_Go talk to him,_' the voice in her head whispered. She obliged, went out into the hall and knocked on the door next to hers.

There was a long bout of silence and she turned to go back into her room when his voice called through the wood, "Come in." It moved through her with a shiver. She opened the door and peeked through the opening. She stepped in and leaned back onto the door as it shut her in. She looked uncomfortable as she glued her eyes to her feet. "What is it you need?" his silky smooth voice carried from across the room. It sent a noticeable shiver down her spine. "To apologize," she said. "I meant not to bring up such painful memories," she looked away as he stood. He glided over to her and she looked up at him. His crimson eyes burned into her, "I am the one who should be apologizing." She was shocked, "Valentine…. Why would you apologize when it was I who brought up the past?"  
He slammed his fist into the wall next to her head. The sheetrock wall buckled and fell away in crumbling pieces, as it gave way to his fist. She flinched something few could manage to make her do, and it amazed her how similar her heart must have looked to the broken wall under his hand. "I was blind, I should have protected you!" He stated quietly, but the force of the sound made her shrink away from him a bit. He was enraged with himself, and his eyes held a preternatural yellowish tint to them making his crimson orbs orange. She shied away from him more, sliding down the wall a bit as though she were ready to bolt away from him. For the first time in many years a tiny twinge of fear flickered in her mind.


	27. Emotions

His gaze softened, the orange color in his eyes dying away at seeing the twinge of fear in her eyes, though she desperately tried to hide it. "I promised to protect you…and then I turn around and let you suffer," his low voice was heavy with emotion. She felt herself break, the need to cry rose up and she battled it down. "You said you can not remember what happened after that…well I do…" he told her. She let him lead her to the bed, and she crawled to the far side sitting with her back against the wall and her knees to her chest.

He sat on the edge of the bed while she sat against the wall. He told her, in heart crushing detail, his love for the woman that had shattered her very being. She pulled her knees closer. The collar on her trench coat hid the bottom half of her face, and her hair hid her brilliantly dull silver eyes.

He told her of how Crescent had experimented on him to keep him a live, and of the being called Chaos. He told her about how Lucrecia had betrayed his feelings, and how Hojo had gotten her pregnant… he spoke of her wanting to experiment on the unborn child. Faye felt a new chill take hold in her, and her anger flared her eyes a deadly blue almost black. She quickly got it under control and blinked them back to the dull grey silver. He spoke of the bust out thanks to Chaos, and sleeping for nearly 30 years in a coffin, and of Cloud waking him.

She listened intently as he gave up the details of his life, and his brush with death. He kept saying that he missed Crescent, and he couldn't stop thinking about her. All this did was help ship away at her heart. She did the best she could to keep it from showing. "So you are just like me then…" she asked once he had explained everything. He gave a quiet nod and looked away from her. His long onyx hair fell down around his face and his cape hid his mouth. "We are no longer who we once were," she mumbled, "a fresh start if you will."

She stood keeping her back to him for she knew that if he saw her face he would recognize the pain written there. "Thank you Valentine… it helps to know how I escaped," she gave a slight nod and left.

Outside his door she collapsed against the wall, sliding down till she lay on her side on the floor. Her heart felt as though he were holding it in his hand and squeezing it so hard it was unable to pulse. She clutched at the pain in her chest and gave a stifled moan. Tears burned relentlessly at her eyes, and the tightening in her throat intensified making it heard to inhale. '_Why do you fight it like this?' _Shadows voice echoed in her mind. 'Because it shows weakness…" she replied as she righted herself and leaned against the wall. She slowly got to her feet, and went into her room. She locked herself away and fell onto her bed to dwell in the shadows of her mind.


	28. Zack Speaks

Days passed into weeks. Amaya was concerned, she had not seen Faye since she had spoken of her past, that was a week ago. "Damn it, where the hell is that woman?" Cid cussed, obviously agitated by her absence. It was evident that almost everyone was concerned, Cloud hadn't slept in days, and Denzel and Marlene had spent many hours fretting. Vincent was now gone for days at a time, Tifa had taken up pacing, Yuffie had fallen silent, and Cait Sith and Nanaki were curled up in front of Faye's door. Nanaki asked Sith to guard the hall while he attempted to get Faye to open her door.

Faye had not moved, remaining curled in a ball on her bed. She was clinging desperately to the SOLDIER wolf head pendant Zack had given to her minutes before his passing. The pendant was something important to her. She wasn't sure how long she had been locked away in her room, but she guess around a week or so. She felt a cold nose pressed against her back and she turned to see a wolf.

She embraced him, gripping at the silken fur and burring her face in its warmth. "Why do you do this?" his voice was soft as he shifted forms under her grip. His arms folded around her. "Because Zack… it hurts, and I am confused," she replied in a constricted voice. "Come on Fye," he rubbed a soothing hand over her hair, "What is confusing you?"

She whimpered, "Why do I feel this way? Why does it hurt so much?" She gripped tightly to his shirt, clinging desperately to his ethereal form. "It hurts because you have feelings for him," his voice harbored a soft chuckle. "But what are those feelings!? Why do the make me feel like dying?" She cried. Small glittering, clear crimson tears streaked her face, solidifying into tiny round crystals as they bounced across the floor. He ruffled her hair like he used to do in their time together, "that is something you must find out on your own."

She looked up at him and the smile that tugged at his lips made her heart throb painfully and her throat constrict even more. She gasped at it, clenching her eyes shut and making soft struggling, crying sounds between clenched teeth, "Why did you leave?" The question was soft as she tried her best not to say the words with the sobs that shook her body. "Because it was my time to go, but you have a lot now, friends who are worried sick about you," he said gently before adding with a light hearted laugh, You should see your other brother." "Chocabo?" She sniffled wiping at the wet stains of her tears. Zack nodded, "poor guy hasn't slept in days, looks like the living dead."

A small, very small smile broke through her tears. "Tell Cloud we said hey alright?" He faded into a thin vapor. She saw the floor littered with the small crystals, she grabbed a cloth and went about picking them up. With all of them in her hand she closed the hand tightly and breathed gently onto the cloth. The gems turned to liquid and she tossed the damp cloth into the laundry hamper.

Nanaki was about to call into the door when it opened suddenly. He was surprised to see Faye's usually grey eyes had turned a light shade of red-pink. They only became like this when she had been crying. "What has you so shaken?" He questioned in a worried voice. "It's nothing Nana," she said. Sure enough her eyes reverted to their normal dark silver grey. She accompanied the red furred, fire tailed, feline down to the bar. "Good to have you back lass," Sith stated from where he stood on the stairs. She gave him a slight nod and continued onward.

The first person to take notice of her was Cloud, mostly for the fact that she came right up in front of him, bent ever so slightly to see his face. "He was right… you do look like a Zombie," she stated blankly her heart still throbbing a bit. Cloud practically tackled her to the floor, then he pulled away and gave her a questioning look, "who's he?" "Zackary," she said. She heard him shout in the back of her mind, "DON'T CALL ME ZACKARY!" She closed one eye and put her hands over her ears giving a growl, "he and Aeris say hello."

His face contorted in confusion but he shook it away and instead took a firm hold on her collar, "Why the Hell did you do that!?" He shook her back and forth. For a moment she just sat there, letting him shake her roughly. She stared up at him and suddenly his image faded into someone else… someone she truly wished never to see again.


	29. Bad Memories and a Half Truth

**She was shaken violently, yet again a bruise forming under her eye where his hand had taken her down to the floor. She would lose it and strike out at him, before wandering back to the comfort of her brothers.**

Now he was there before her again, Violent brown eyes glared down at her, framed by greasy brown hair. Fear yet again rose in her, and she was sure it was visible in her eyes. A stronger, more prominent emotion pulled in to take its place, anger. She struck out at the image, her fist striking hard on his jaw. She sprung back and the image turned back to Cloud.

Though Cloud was holding his Jaw he stammered, "Faye! I am so sorry!" She blinked before realizing she had her gun drawn and cocked pointed at the blonds head. She hastily holstered her gun and slid down the wall. She let her head fall backward against the wall, her eyes closed. Everyone had gathered around her except for Vincent who was not in the room. Marlene and Denzel clung to her sides and Amaya knelt next to her. "Sorry Cloud…bad memories… you know?" She grumbled miserably.

He stretched his jaw and took a seat next to her, "It's ok Fye, I should have known it would bring up bad memories." He rubbed his chin, " damn you hit hard." "Why did you lock yourself away like that?" Amaya asked her Faye looked down at the children, she wouldn't tell them her heart was no longer beating. She could not tell them she had found the man she had loved secretly many years ago.

That the man would never see her as anything more than a friend. " I … just needed some time alone," she said, it wasn't exactly a lie, only a half truth. "You didn't have to worry us like that," Tifa told her. She let her eyes fall to the floor, half lidded in sorrow, but she gave a small nod to Tifa's comment.

The next week passed by at an agonizing rate. When Vincent was around Faye turned to solid stone, emotionless and cold. He too seemed colder than usual. Faye spent her time with Denzel and Marlene, as well as helping Tifa out on busy days. She was beginning to think that all trouble had passed. Everything had become peaceful and relaxed, it was just about right for a few days off absolute leisure time.

That thought was utterly destroyed when Cait Sith came scrambling through the door into the bar. Faye's heart dropped as a new scent caught her sensitive nose. It was vile, evil, something new and deadly. She stopped drawing and stood from her chair, motioning the children to continue without her. "What is it?" She asked her voice calm and cold.

As the robot started to speak his accent was so heavy it was hard to understand, the words strung together so fast it was one big jumble. "Vincent…… lost control …. Chaos… kill anything…. Get his hands on…"The cat 'bot stammered nearly falling over himself as he tried to explain. Her stomach twisted into a knot.


	30. Think Like The Beast

Faye was on her feet and at the door before anyone could move an inch, "Tifa you stay here with the kids." Before Tifa could protest she had already closed the door behind her and was running. Cait Sith was perched unsteadily on her shoulder. "Where are they?" She asked in a steady voice. "Trying to hold him off…" Sith stated. She could smell the destruction on the robot. "The Forgotten City," He pointed ahead of them at the glowing in the distance. "He will kill them," she mumbled to herself.

As she neared the glowing forest, her feet flying across the ground as she ran, she picked up the scent of blood. 'Damn…' she mumbled in her mind. "Guys," She called as she let Sith down next to Beret and Nanaki, "Stay out of the way…" She came to a halt well ahead of where Cloud was gathering an unconscious Cid. The beast before her set Shadow on edge.

He was stunning and Shadow was left utterly speechless. Burning golden yellow eyes fell on her and she narrowed her own. He seemed shocked to see her there. He snapped from his stupor, folding his wings tightly to his back and stepped toward her. He gave a sweeping bow, "Chaos, at your service…"

She gave him a small nod, "Chaos." "To what do I owe the honor," his tone was rough and snarling. But that was to be expected, he was after all, hell-bent on killing anything and everything. "Walk with me powerful Chaos," she gave a bow in return, hiding her face and the scowl that momentarily crossed her features. No one was her master. He seemed skeptical, being the intelligent demon that he is.

To emphasize her statement she dropped onto one knee, her head inclined and said, "That is all I ask of my master." Shadow was clearly enjoying the manipulation of this demon for her glee rose up in Faye's mind. There was quiet footfall as he approached her. "Faye get out of there, he will kill you!" Cloud yelled. She glanced sideways at him her gaze blank, "Then may it be, for not only would it be an honor to die by the hand of the most powerful Chaos, but if my master should will it of me, I would gladly throw away my very lingering memory. "

She heard chaos chuckle and felt his clawed hand rest atop her head. "Master… I could grow used to that," he stated, she knew he was grinning. "A walk it is… Let's go together then," he held out his hand for her and she took it, rising to her feet. He led her away from them, golden eyes always watching her as she moved with the grace of raindrops, rippling the mirror surface of a pond.

"What did you wish to speak of?" His voice still held an edge though he spoke a bit less harshly than before. "How did you gain control so easily?" She asked carefully, trying to come up with something that sounded viable to her story of wanting to walk with him. She rested her hand on his arm, a way to show him her trust. "My host was vulnerable and with danger in the area I took the chance for a bit of a walk," he smirked sideways at her.

"Great and powerful Chaos…" She was stopped mid-sentence when a slight pain surged through her body. She blinked her brow furrowed in confusion. Shadow was moving restlessly inside of her. Chaos stepped sideways to put a bit of space between them so that he could watch her better. A small cut on his body pumped the enticing scent of blood into the air around her. She pressed her hands to her head and doubled over. "Chaos," her vision hazed over a bit. "Please… do not come close to me…" She gasped as her body began to change.

Shadow was taking over, feeling uncomfortable with her vessel so close to the being Chaos. He took a step back when her wings unfurled. The shown brilliantly as her eyes filled in solid black. "So this is the infamous Chaos?" She asked flashing her fangs at him. He felt himself twitch. She was beautiful. She held out her hand to him, "Shall we continue on our walk?"


	31. Lost Control

Chaos gave a slight twitch , he was not sure of the strange feeling in his stomach. He had seen her in the moment of the valiant rescue of Vincent's friends, but in his own form he found her enticing, the scent of Orchid drifting on the breeze. They walked in silence, the uneasy feeling in his gut making his wings twitch and shutter. The thought of just killing her crossed his mind, surely that would make the churning feeling in his stomach go away.

She turned toward him suddenly her wings flared, "tell me, does Vincent still bleed over that she-devil?" He was somewhat shocked at her tone, but showed it with a sneer, "Why do you want to know?" He lashed out at her with his claws, using this as an excuse to cut her down. She leapt up and came back with her own attack, "because my host loves him and she is dying inside! He is killing her!"

The two demons battled their hearts out, until both were on the verge of exhaustion. "This is …something," Chaos growled, struggling to his feet, "that they must sort out on their own." Shadow was panting, a small line of blood dripping from the corner of her lips onto the ground. "See you later babe," she said one eye closed against the pain running it's course through her body. " Count on it my pet," Chaos smiled grimly before collapsing.

Shadow heaved a sigh, "what a mess…" The sun had set and risen, soon the others would come looking for her. She used her saliva to close any wounds on Vincent's body. She flopped backward when Faye took over again. Her paralysis didn't take long to dispel, but it took the rest of that half hour to convince her limbs to work even just a little.

Cloud sat against the bar on the floor. No one slept but the kids. Everyone watched the door. "Maybe…they…" Cid started to speak what was on everyone's mind but Tifa cut him off, "Don't say it Highwind." He fell silent. Hours passed by, every tick tock of the second hand on the clock was nearly enough to drive them all mad. Midnight rolled around and Yuffie paced the floor, tossing a materia from hand to hand. "If she isn't back by morning I will go look for her," Cloud announced.

Morning rolled in and the members of AVALANCHE…short two members, were sprawled across the floor of Seventh Heaven. They were awake but had given up watching the door. Cloud was just about to gather his things to start looking when the door opened and in tumbled two bodies. The larger of the two lay still atop the smaller form which had moved in feeble attempts to escape the weight pinning it.

To everyone's surprise it was Faye and Vincent. Both were covered in blood and both seemed exhausted. Cloud heaved Vincent's unconscious deadweight off of Faye. "Remind me…"She mumbled as she stood, "to tell him to cut back on the carbs." She took a few staggering steps and fell. Everyone rushed for her. "It's ok, I caught myself with my face," she said sarcastically. "Stop screwin' around down there and tell us what the fuck happened," Cid cried. "Well I can't Flyboy," she grumbled, her voice muffled against the floor. "Why the hell not?" Cid demanded picking at a bandage.

"Because Cid Highwind, my limbs are refusing to work," she gave an exasperated sigh. Beret hauled her to a chair and Amaya supported her there. "How did you do that?" Cloud asked her. "Trust, Chaos is an egotistical demon, he likes being in control, so I used it to my advantage," She said as she rested her head on the back of the chair. "He could have killed you," Tifa commented. Faye's face twitched as her heart contorted, "Maybe it would have been best if he had." Amaya slapped her hard across the face, tears glittering in her eyes, "Shut up."

"Maya you have no idea what this body has been through," 'the pain I feel always,' She kept the last bit to herself keeping her eyes adverted to the far wall. "I might, if you would just let me in," Amaya replied. "Not yet… for these scars are still bleeding," Faye said softly. "May we speak of this later, I haven't slept since the night before, and I need to regenerate," she asked them. "I can fix yah!" Yuffie exclaimed. Faye shook her head, "No thanks Yuffie." She was then hauled up to her room with the help of Beret.

Vincent woke to a cloth being pressed to his forehead. He blinked trying to clear the haze from his startling red eyes. "Good your awake," he recognized the voice. His eyes followed the hand that held the bloody cloth, as he thought it belonged to Tifa. He looked past her and found Cloud propped against the wall. He sat forward and rested his head in his hand, "what… happened?" "You lost control," Cloud stated simply. His heart dropped into his stomach then knowing this could not have ended well at all.


	32. Scars and Healing

He closed his eyes.  
"No one died and there was minimal damage," Cloud reassured him.  
"How did I get here?" Vincent asked staring down at the red of his cloak.  
"Faye, she actually got Chaos to walk with her, he didn't even try to hurt her," Cloud said still unbelieving at how Faye had simply turned the demon away from them.  
"How?" Vincent looked up at him.  
"I am not sure really, but when she showed up here you were both covered in blood," Cloud said.  
"She drug you here from the Forgotten City," Tifa commented on Faye's strength.  
"I looked you over, but I didn't find anything, just a few minor scratches and bruises," Cloud told him.  
"I don't understand where all the blood came from," Tifa mumbled.  
"What about Faye?" Vincent asked.  
"A few scratches nothing major that we could see, but we haven't had the chance to look her over," Tifa said looking up at him.

He swung his leg over the edge of the bed and got to his feet. "I will go check on her," he groaned a bit for his body was sore. He moved out the door with a twinge of worry in his heart. Tifa and Cloud tailed him out the door and to the door right next to his own door. He opened the door and stepped inside. She was laying on her back her eyes closed in sleep. There was a bruise forming under her eye. She opened her eyes and the slate-grey eyes were light with wires of green.

She looked over at them, "good to see you up and around." Despite her appearance her voice was as strong as always.  
"You hurt?" Tifa asked.  
She would have shrugged if her body would have permitted it, "Shadow and Chaos tried to kill each other, he is powerful," She mumbled, "it is only expected that we would come away injured."  
"May I?" Tifa asked stepping toward her.  
"I don't think it would be wise," Faye told her.  
This seemed to confuse Tifa, "how so?"  
Faye arched a brow at her, " have you ever seen a vampire regenerate?"  
Tifa waved it off and pulled away Faye's shirt. Under the shirt was more than a mess. She had a nice chunk taken out of her side just above her hip and it seemed to still be bleeding. A large gash across her upper torso, exposed the white of rib bone. "Oh my …" Tifa covered her mouth with her hand.

"I tried to tell you it wasn't pretty," Faye said closing her eyes, "now don't touch it and watch." All three of them gathered close to her. Each fiber began to slowly reform, pulling together into its rightful place. "Usually it only takes a second, but that uses a lot of energy, and that is energy I need to have to move properly," Faye said one eye open to watch them. It was rather grotesque, but it intrigued them. The fresh blood was drawn back into the wounds as the muscles began to rebuild itself slowly.

Soon pink muscle formed over white rib bones, and pinkish tissue pulled together as skin.  
"Will they scar?" Tifa cringed a bit, feeling a little queasy.  
"They will be pale pink for a little bit, then they will disappear," Faye told them.  
" What about these?" Tifa pointed to light scars on her side and stomach.  
"All before I became a Vampire," Faye answered, "the one on my chest was while she was gaining power."

Vincent's eyes focused on the scar. A Y shaped set of double dots slightly darker than the skin. The branches started below her color bones, and the stem stopped just below her sternum.  
"Stitches?" Cloud asked a light blush on his face.  
"Yep she healed the incision and proved that mending a ribcage is very painful," Faye said, "but she couldn't fix the stitch marks."  
"It looks like an autopsy cut," Tifa grimaced.  
"That's exactly right," Faye sighed.  
"You don't mean…" Cloud started.  
"I mean exactly what I say," Faye's voice was shaken with emotion.  
"But…" Tifa started and Faye cut her off, "No I wasn't dead, and no I wasn't under anesthetic… I was wide awake while they did it." Tifa seemed to hold back tears, and Vincent though silent raged on the inside. " Drugged into immobility I could do nothing but scream," She found the strength to turn her head away. "I am fine, no real damage done, I should be up and about before dark, I just need to sleep to restore myself," she told them.

There was a pang of guilt in his mind as he closed the door behind him. His eyes set on his feet as he followed the others down the stairs.


	33. What I haven't Promised to Protect

Faye seemed exhausted, her voice only carried it half concealed. Her eyes shown sadness sharper than any knife, he could see it cut deep. He was mobbed when he arrived at the stair landing.  
Yuffie clung to him, "Don't scare me like that Vinnie!"  
He gave a low throaty growl at the name as he was released. He took up his usual corner and was soon joined by Nanaki.  
"You seem troubled Vincent," the flame tailed cat purred.  
"That obvious?" Vincent asked in response.  
Nanaki chuckled, "I know what it looks like that's all."

"You do not miss anything," Vincent nodded.  
"Tell me what has you so off," Nanaki asked.  
There was a long silence as Vincent tried to sort out what was really on his mind. A hazy mess met him blankly. The feline waited patiently. His red flamed tail twitching coolly. His large paws were crossed over the edge of the bench and his head rested over them, his keen eyes closed contently as he purred.

"I do not know… exactly what these feelings are," Vincent grumbled. His eyes traced the folds of his crimson cape. His mind glided over the fabrics intricate patterns. His silken hair fell down around his face, hiding brilliant crimson eyes. He sighed and looked up at the feline his hair falling back into place over his shoulders. His eyes were glowing like the hidden embers in a dieing bed of coals.

"I know you are feeling bad about Faye," Nanaki stated raising one brow as he opened that eye to look sideways at Vincent. "But trust me when I tell you that you have done her more harm in being a live… than Chaos will ever do her," there was a hint of sadness in his voice as he turned his gaze back toward the bar before them. It hurt him to say that to someone he considered a close friend, for it would surely bring pain to him.

Vincent took the words like a slap to the face. He sat back in the booth, his brow knitted together. His collar hid the frown forming on his beautiful lips as the words processed in his mind. His chest tightened with emotion and his fist responded in tightening a bit also. His eyes shown the sadness his heart was throbbing under the leather of his shirt. He resisted the urge to reach up and grip at his chest where the pain was emanating from.

"Going for so many years thinking your best friend is dead… then finding him still alive, much less a member of the group you joined to forget him," Nanaki let his eyes linger on the red cloaked gunman.  
Though Vincent hid behind his shell as usual Nanaki could see he was hurting. 'She joined them to forget me…?' Vincent asked himself.  
"Walk with me Vincent and I will tell you what I haven't promised to protect," the great red feline stood and gave a slight yawn. Long white teeth flashed momentarily reminding those who saw of just how deadly he could be.

Together they padded to the door. Vincent was a bit unsure of weather he really wanted to know about her past… for his heart was already tightened in the hands of his emotions.


	34. She Was Broken

He opened the door with a flick of his wrist, giving the others a quick and shallow be back later. He stepped through after the feline and shut himself out of the bar. For a long while as they walked it was silent. Nothing but the sounds of life around them and the slight crunch of earth under foot. Birds flitted about the sky, their song echoing from the trees as the pair ventured into a stand of trees on the edge of town. Vincent remained quiet out of respect, knowing it was the felines idea to walk in the first place, it was only right he start the conversation.

Nanaki waited until they were well within the trees before speaking, "I found her in a field, discarded and bleeding."  
Vincent glanced down at the cat a silent nod his only response.  
"She would not speak, she did not trust anyone," Nanaki sighed, "but she grew strong again, and soon she grew to trust me and those like me." "She did have a strong dislike for humans, but she did her best to hide it when anyone came to visit," the feline said, "when she chose to spoke, you always knew she would hold a good conversation."

"She grew accustomed to laying about in the fields and gazing at the stars with me," he gave a slight smile at the memory.  
Vincent tried to imagine the girl in that way, but the thought evaded him skillfully.  
"She became good council," Red said, "and I became her council." "She was broken… and her soul had so many things to say, She spoke of a man who had stolen her heart long ago," he said, taking long strides," she said he never knew, and in turn fell for another and broke the very heart he had stolen."

The red cat looked back at the man walking with him. There was a slight tension in the air, and a twinge in his stomach as Vincent listened.  
"She told me she would have given anything… she would have given her life to save him, but she said she could do nothing as he died right before her," Nanaki turned his attention back to the trail and his large paws. "Many times she had come to me crying, saying she wanted to die, that she might kill herself, but she always came to me when it got to hard," he growled, "she said she could do nothing to save him, and that is what killed her inside."

Vincent tensed at the thought of being helpless, and then just not doing anything all together. it was an overwhelming feeling and he hated it.

( wow shortest so far I think)


	35. Zacks Comfort

He thought instantly of Lucrecia, feeling utterly helpless, and doing nothing. His heart hurt like never before, and again he held down the urge to grip his chest. He was jerked ever so violently from his thoughts as the large flame tailed cat turned on him. Hard, cunning feline eyes boring holes into his face, as he advanced on Vincent a few steps.  
"So do not speak of the scientist and expect her to merely come away ok," Nanaki turned away from him with that said and started back toward the bar.  
Vincent was left standing a bit dumbfounded in silence with his troubled thoughts.

_**"Fye?" She was being shaken gently. "Come on you lazy fox."  
Faye opened her eyes, blinking away the haze that fogged everything. Zack was kneeling next to her .  
**__**His face drawn with worry as his brilliant eyes scanned her face.  
She saw his expression twitch downward with a sigh as she sat upright one hand on her forehead as if she expected a pounding headache.**_

_**"What do you want Zachary?" She rubbed her eyes and wrinkled her brow .  
The corner of his eye twitched slightly as she spoke his full name, "Come on! Do I not even get a break in the after life? You know I hate my full name."  
She glanced sideways at him one brow arched.  
"You sleep like the dead," he changed the subject, "You had me worried."  
"Zack… I am still sleeping," she gave him a blank look.  
He grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.**_

_**Faye shook her head and turned to the slight hint of pink in the corner of his vision.  
Aeris was sitting back on the heels of her boots looking at her.  
"You look well," Faye told her.  
The flower girl smiled brightly, "but you my friend seem to be having a hard time."  
Faye's eyes seemed to show the frown that failed to cross her lips, "Why didn't you tell me?" She pulled her legs into half lotus, "why didn't you tell me he was alive…?"**_

_**Zack sighed in defeat, "we aren't allowed to tell you what may alter the future."  
She was about to protest his sanity when Aeris nodded, "we can only keep an eye on you and encourage you when you feel like your at your ends."  
Faye gave a sigh, "He is killing me… slowly but surely I am fading away."  
Zack shook his head, "give the man some time… he has had a hard past."  
Aeris agreed, "Hang in there alright."  
Faye nodded though she was very unsure of herself.  
"Now go on and get up they are waiting for you sis," Zack gave her a hug.  
She closed her eyes and hugged back.**_

Something fell onto the floor with a gentle clang and she woke in her own bed and rolled over to see what it was. Her SOLDIAR pendant lay just under her hand.


	36. Abrupt Departure

She picked it up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She shook her head to dispel the slight dizziness that hovered just over her. She sat there for a moment looking down at the delicate pendant in her hands. She traced her finger over it for a moment and sighed. Then she coiled the silver chain into her hand and put it away into the breast pocket of her trench coat which she then tossed over one shoulder. She stood unsteady on her feet as the feeling came rushing back to her and stepped to the mirror.

She was disheveled and bloodied, and with a sigh she laid the coat over the back of a chair and pulled her gun away. She stepped into the bathroom and turned on the water to take a quick relaxing stepped in and let the hot water flood over her body, washing away all the dirt and blood and soothing the weariness in her muscles.

As she stepped out of the bathroom steam filled the room fogging the mirror so that she had to wipe away the fog to see herself. She fluffed her hair which was stringy and wet and pulled on a new black tank top and a pair of pinstriped pants which she tucked into her usual boots. She tossed her coat over her shoulder again and headed out the door. As she came to the stairs she was nearly tackled by both of the children. She caught them and they hugged her about the neck. She carried them to the landing of the staircase and sat them on their feet.

"I missed you!" Marlene cried in pure joy.  
Denzel nodded his agreement.  
"I am sorry I worried you," Faye told them resting one hand on Marlene's head.  
"Glad to see you up and about," Tifa said as she wiped down the bar.  
What few patrons were in the bar soon filed out and they were left with their usual group of friends.  
She watched half heartedly from Vincent's unoccupied corner.

The door then opened and Nanaki came trotting in and he leapt up onto the bench next to her. He sprawled across her lap.  
She ran her hand over his thick soft fur staring out the window at the dreary streets. She was brought back to reality when Vincent came through the door. She stood apologizing to Nanaki not making eye contact with the red caped gunman. She moved across the bar and sat down in a stool. If he wanted time she would give him time. "Whiskey on the rocks please Tifa?" She laid down a few gill on the bar.  
"Your money is no good here Fye and you know it," Tifa said putting the glass on the bar top in front of her.  
Faye grabbed the woman's arm and forced the gill into her palm, "don't make me force you to take it Tifa."

"Look Tifa, I know business has been a bit slow lately," Faye told her as she turned to glance over at Cid who was cleaning a cog from his airship.  
Tifa did not reply, after all it was not like it truly mattered how much business the bar got, there was always Clouds delivery service that brought in decent money.  
Faye swung her head about to look at the black hair woman behind the mahogany bar. Her silver-grey orbs tracing Tifa's expression as if she would find something of great wonder hidden there.  
Tifa merely smiled back at her and Faye heaved a sigh at her stubbornness.

"You are terrible I hope you realize that," Faye said with a blank expression as she realized what Tifa was thinking. She rolled her eyes when Tifa giggled and pulled her hair over her shoulder. She held her glass to her lips, gripping it about the rim with her fingertips. She took a drink of the liquor and closed her eyes slightly as it burned its way down her throat. She rested her elbows on the counter top and looked down at the amber drink and the way it glittered over the chunks of ice. Her mind was blank for the most part, though every now and then she found herself thinking about why Vincent had survived, and why he was here now.

( this next bit is made up because I needed a reason to have Chaos in here for the end of the story)

She had heard about Vincent's heroic rescue of the entire planet when Omega had been activated. She wished she would have know before then because she might have come back sooner to see if he might have remembered her. Maybe they could have been a little closer than what she felt they were now. Devastation was a good word for how he must have felt when he discovered that Chaos had indeed returned to him. It was just after the incident with Sephiroth and the three remnants that it had occurred. According to Cloud it was like he had never really changed, but the power he had held back before had once again returned, manifesting itself in the form of more power than he should have had.

She wondered to herself now, why Chaos had returned to Vincent, and why was it Vincent, why not some other person. She felt sorry for him for a brief moment, that is until she felt his eyes burning holes into her back. She stood up abruptly and left the bar.  
Tifa was about to call out to her and ask where she was going when she caught the angry hurt look the blond female shot Vincent as she stepped out the thresh hold of the bar.

Faye stormed through Edge, ignoring the many people looking at her, and those who mumbled about how she seemed upset. She just let her feet carry her away. Her mind was now buzzing with thoughts and images and smells. Why did he have to make her feel like such a jackass? Did he mean to make her stomach do summersaults? Did he intend to make her feel out of place and odd by staring at her? Did he think she could so simply ignore the way his eyes made her feel when she looked at them? It was absurd and she now felt sick to her stomach as she continued on, trying to distance herself from the little bar as fast as she could manage.


	37. Amaya's Anger

( THIS ONE IS EPICNESS! XP)

Her boots thudded dully against the pavement as she stormed through the populated streets of Edge. Silver grey eyes flashed about as she watched carefully for any threat or any simple sign of someone following her. Faye's trench moved with the breeze she created with each flowing step, its buckles flashing slightly behind her arms. Her hands were stuffed firmly into her pockets and her gun hidden behind the coat. A child ran out in front of her and she stopped on a dime, flawlessly sending the edges of her coat fluttering outward as if they reached for the child skittering away at her feet. Any human would have tripped over themselves, especially had they been gawking at the clouds overhead as she was doing.

She waited patiently for the little girl to move out of her way before she continued on. The steady rhythmic sound of her boots again carried her onward toward the unknown destination. Unknown was exactly where she was going, she did not care to be true. She just let her feet drag her through the crowds and toward whereever she would end up. The sound of bass pumping caught her sound sensitive ears as she neared her destination.  
The building she had stopped in front of was sound proof though her ears caught the reverberation of the music through the ground. The windows of the building had been blacked out and a bouncer stood in the roped off gateway.

She stepped up and swept her coat back away from her attire of baggy camo fatigues, and tight beater.  
The bounced moved the rope aside and nodded to her.  
She stepped inside sweeping her bangs back. The music dulled a bit as her ears adjusted to keep from busting her eardrums. She stepped into the crowd and was instantly drawn by the flashing strobes, multicolored lasers and glow spinners, spinning their glow sticks on the end of stings. The music throbbed an ebb and flow through her body. She could defiantly lose herself here, and taking up a set of glow poi that had been set aside she began to do just that.

Vincent sat in his usual spot, staring out the window where he had last seen Faye disappear. He felt strange, he felt the turning in his stomach, as though it were full of butterflies. He looked down at the table, wondering if it was his old friend that did this to him. He would not know today for she had walked out the door in a fuss… and he didn't see her coming back anytime soon.

Tifa watched the door the whole day, Faye had fled the bar in a bit of a foul mood, and now night was falling and swiftly. Her eyes flicked over Amaya who was also helping in the bar today, carrying a tray of drinks to a table. She too kept her eyes trained on the door awaiting the return of her friend.  
Vincent sat with his arms crossed and one leg rested over his knee in his usual corner. He was watching, with certain interest, the light gleaming off his golden boot gauntlet.  
( What would you call those things XP. Chibi Vincent: Shiny? * tilts head* Fox: *slaps forehead* Why is it always with the irresistible chibiness with you ?)  
He seemed to be unconcerned with anything, only content to stare at his boots in deep thought.

As the bar patrons slowly began to leave Faye came through the door, looking terribly tired. She was spattered with glowing speck of all colors, and she was humming softly to herself. There was a slight bounce in her step as she Melbourne shuffled across the floor and then fell onto a stool and slumped over the bar. Her face was flushed and her eyes drooped a bit with weariness.  
"Where have you been?" Tifa stood in front of her with her hands on her hips.  
"What's with the glowing stuff?" Amaya asked poking at a spot of pink glow on the shoulder of her trench.  
"A rave, and its from a glow stick that someone broke," Faye answered with a heavy sigh of exhaustion. She glanced sideways past Amaya at Vincent who was glaring at her. Her eyes saddened and her head dropped so she was looking back at the bar.  
Amaya noticed this and looked at Vincent from the corner of her eye.  
"Night…" without another word she went up the stars and closed the door to her room after her.

Vincent gave a confused sigh, and his brow furrowed. His attention was turned when Amaya sat a glass in front of him on the table.  
"You alright?" She asked seeing the way his brow furrowed beneath the crimson band.  
"Hm? I am fine," he replied with his voice a low and level grumble. He took the glass and sipped at the drink.  
"She really cares about you, you know that right?" Amaya stared at him, not giving him the chance to make her feel small. She felt a deep respect for him, and she was intimidated by his powerful presence. She held a high respect for Faye for being able to talk to him the way she did. "She once said…" her voice faltered and she swallowed hard, " she told me… that once she was not the hard shell we see now… she said she was once in love…and that she could never love another…" She jolted when his deep voice cut her off. Her eyes flew from the table to look at his pale emotionless face.

"Who could have gained so much from an angel of perfect marble?" he looked off to the side avoiding her probing gaze. His hands were held in an arch over is lips, his fingertips holding the rim of the glass.  
Amaya stammered to answer his question though it was not something to be answered, " she did not give me a name… she only said it was long ago and that he was killed."  
The gunner furrowed his brow further, "why do you speak of this to me?"  
"Because!" Amaya exclaimed her voice raised to a furious falsetto, " Can't you see!?"  
Every ones eyes turned toward them, watching from the corner of their gaze.  
"You are killing her!" Amaya glared down at her hands which she had slammed onto the table.  
He gave her a blank look, "why would I have anything to do with a dead lover?"

Amaya glared hatefully at him through blazing purple eyes lined with tears of frustration and embarrassment. Her rage swirled and snarled to be released in one swift swipe of the katana resting over her shoulder.  
Berett reached out and gripped her arm gently, but she tore away from his grip, " Do not touch me…" The words were full of venom at a low hiss. She flipped around and stomped up the stairs slamming her door quite loudly behind her.


	38. He is Alive

Faye jolted with the teeth rattling slam of the door to the room next to hers. She got to her feet groggily and walked toward the door. She tripped over the rug on the floor, and being so tired she didn't even try to catch herself she fell in a heap.  
"Fye?" Cid's voice called from outside her door.  
"It's alright… the floor broke my fall," she replied in a tone that hinted at her drag ass mind set.  
Cid chuckled and left to do whatever he was doing.  
Faye stood and with a careful step moved into the hallway.

"Maya… I am respecting your privacy by knocking but asserting my place as your friend by coming in anyways," Faye called into the thick wood of the door that separated her from her friend. She pushed her way into the room and examined the scene of Amaya sprawled over the bed. "What has you so upset?" she asked as she seated herself on the edge of the bed.

"Vincent…. Gr he is such an ass!" She snapped as she slammed her fist into the bed as hard as she could, "He doesn't care about anything."  
Faye tilted her head slightly.  
"He doesn't even care that you lost your soul mate," Amaya sniffled.  
Faye chuckled softly, "I did not lose him."  
"Well he died," Amaya corrected herself.  
"Oh surely to your surprise as well as mine I assure you he lives," Faye's voice dropped.  
Amaya sat bolt upright, "What?! How?"

Faye paused and dug into her pocket. She drew out the end of a silver chain. On the opposite end was a locket of cut sapphire circled with silver. She broke it open and her heart roared to life suddenly. It made her dizzy, listening to the sound of her heart beating wildly. Inside were two pictures, on one side a man and woman standing against a large tree, on the other was a man in his early twenties. His jet black hair was long enough to sweep his strong but elegant jaw line, his bangs half hiding his bright crimson eyes. A bright, heart fluttering smile showed off perfect white teeth.  
"That is the man who owns my heart," Faye said sadly.  
"He is stunning…" Amaya mumbled, "he reminds me of Vincent with short hair."  
"I would hope so, " Faye sighed.  
"What do you mean?" Amaya tilted her head to the side.  
"That … is Valentine…" Faye nearly choked on her own words.


	39. A Day Out

Amaya literally fell off the side of the bed, landing with a loud thump and an exasperated yell, "WHAT!?"  
Faye scrambled forward off the bed wrapping her hand around her friends mouth, "Shhhh!" When her friend settled again she rocked back onto her heals and onto her butt. She wrapped her arms about her knees and pulled them to her chest. A smile lit her face for the briefest of moments and then it faded again leaving a deep sadness in its wake. "He…he wasn't supposed to be alive…I was just starting to heal," Her voice held down her emotions with to the best of her ability.

Amaya curled her legs under her, remaining on the floor where she had fallen, facing her friend. Her eyes fell to her hands, "I didn't know."  
Faye pulled herself from the floor and looked down at the necklace in her hand. Her voice sounded suddenly small, " How were you supposed to know if I never told you?"  
Amaya stood next, and with a sympathetic hand on Faye's shoulder she stated softly, "You look tired… get some sleep alright?"

Faye nodded and practically drug herself out the door and toward her own just down the hall. She paused, with her hand on the brass knob of her door, to listen. She could hear that Tifa and Cloud had gone to their rooms, and the kids slumbered deeply. The others had left for their own homes. She could not hear Vincent in his borrowed room right next to her own. She listened a bit harder, his light breathing told her he too was asleep. She turned the door knob and stepped inside. Abruptly she was brought to a halt when Vincent's deep voice called out her old name.

She battled with herself for a minute, her curiosity winning over common sense. She approached the door opposite of her own. Careful to go silently she entered the darkness of Vincent's room. She blinked, her pupils glowing silver in what little light there was. He was laying on his side facing her, one hand palm up on the bed. She stepped toward him the locket dangling on its chain in her hand. His long silken hair spilled over the pillow and his face. The crimson band that normally held it was folded neatly, draped over his cloak. She looked at the jewel in her hand then at his sleeping face. She dropped the pendant into his open hand and swiftly returned to her room. She found herself fast asleep before she could think otherwise.

She woke and started down the stairs, she found Tifa busy in the kitchen.  
"I am going to take the kids out today," Faye stated as she made the landinf of the floor, "I have my cell, if you need me you know how to get a hold of me."  
Tifa's eyes watched Faye as she trailed along the edge of the bar. She had left her regular clothing behind in exchange for a short pleated skirt and a tank top that revealed her stmach. Tifa arched a brow at her and leaned over the bar to see her elegant little sandles. A bow was visible at the back of her neck and on each hip.  
"Wow you look nice today," Tifa smiled at her a bit of shoc clearly heard in her voice.  
"What you haven't ever seen me dress like this?" She questioned as she heard Cloud trip at the top of the stairs. He must have noticed her too. She stepped casualy to te side as Cloud came rolling past and smacking into the far wall before he finally got stopped. Faye watched him crawl to his feet and rub at his head where his hair stuck up in disarray. She arched her brow at him, her arms crossed and one smooth hip sticking out to the side.  
"I demand you go change!" He stated bodly and dramaticly. He seemed to sound appalled.  
Faye laughed and placed her hands on her hips which remained cocked to one side.  
"What?" She questioned him.  
"You never dress that way, what's gotten onto my sister?!" He questioned with exaggeration in his voice.  
"Since it's warm and I am taking the kids out for the day," She said with a sneer in her voice.  
Clouds face turned down in a pout as he looked er over again, "Well... it ... looks good on you." He then turned his head away, still rubbing the back of his head where he had fallendown the stairs.  
Just then both children came sprinting down the stairs, Denzel flying out before Marlene with a bag in his hand. They both lept into fayes arms and she spun them in a small circle. "Well we will be off," She stated as she stood upright one child on each hip as she trotted out the door.  
Tifa and Cloud followed her and both nearly choked when they saw her bucking both children intothe front seat of a Dodge Viper. For being the cold blooded killed she had met only a year ago, Tifa was surprised at the soft spot she held for the children. She shared this trait with Vincent without a doubt.  
She had desided to take them to Costa delSol. She was set on enjoying her day with no stress at all. She had even managed to cage up her thoughts about Vincent. She pulled the car onto the road and smiled over at Denzel and Marlene, "Lets Go!"


	40. The Beach

(warning, there isnt a big exciting bit in this one its kind of blah. I figured they needed a little bit of a break. but it doesnt last long -_-)  
The two children cattered excitedly as she drove. Suddenly her cell vibrated, blaring the Simple and Clean techno remix.  
"Hello?" She answered it with a care free note in her voice.  
"Hey," Tifa started. She was cut off when Clouds over exaduated voice called over her, " We are so bored!"  
Fye chuckled lilghtly to herself," You don't say? Its ony Sunday and the bar isn't open."  
Would you mind if we tagged along on your adventure?" Tifa asked putting emphasis on the word Adventure.  
"No I don;t mind, but bring food cause I am not buying for everyone," Faye replied.  
"Where will you be?" Tifa sounded excited.  
"Del Sol," Faye chimed and clicked the phone off.  
"Who was it?" Denzel asked her.  
Faye smiled sideways at them, "Tifa and Cloud, they are gonna show up later."  
They cheered and Faye smiled pushing the car a little bit faster.  
"Hurry up!" Yuffie was pounding on Vincent's door. He was sitting on the edge of his bed staring down at the locket in his hand. The picture inside caught him off guard, his younger self and Jasmine, a second image of his younger self smiling shown opposite the first. He put it around his neck and exited the room.  
Yuffie stood with her hands on her hips and her foot tapped in frustration, "About time." Her eyes locked in on the contrasting blue against his dark attire, the jewel around his neck.  
"It's so pretty," her eyes glittered as she reached for it.  
Quickly he snatched it away and tucked it under his cape," Let's go."  
They walked together down the hall and met up with the others. Outside he climbed onto a bike nearly matching Cloud's own, and revved the engine. Yuffie joined him cautiously, Tifa joined Cloud and the others took a track. "Hold on," Vincent told the ninja before guning the bike out onto the road with Cloud at his heels. Faye parked the gunmetal grey Viper and laughed as both children baled out of the doos.

"Slow down, I still have to get our stuff," She laughed when the kids practicaly fell over one another trying to stop before they set foot on the sand. Faye smiled at them sheepishly, "give me your shoes so they don't fill up with sand."  
She took their shoes and tossed them into the car with her own boots.

She turned and raced toward them todding Denzel onto her back and swinging Marlene into her arms. They laughed as her feet flew along the sand toward a small board shop. She rended two double fin boards, a triple finand a long board. She also took two skim boards for the kids and a pair of boogie boards.  
She loaded everything onto a four-wheeler and with the kids in place headed for a secuded place on the beach.  
When Cloud and the others arrived Faye took up the opurtunity to catch a few waves with him. Vincent found a big palm tree to sit under and watch. She was brilliant, the smile tugging at the corner of her lips made his heart sputter once. She danced her bard along the wave.  
Soon the girls joined them and they surfed for a while maybe an hour or so before they desided to come in and eat. After eating Faye interupted a game of frisbee between Denzel and Marlene. She waved the disc above her head teasing them lightly. Vincent shook his head a little when they ganged up on her and tackled her to the earth.


	41. Close Call

Vincent sat by watching them with mild interest. His eyes hovered over Fye mostly. She played with the children running back and forth along the shore with the skim board they both reached for. Some how or another she managed to get Cid on a skimmer as well and he had just fallen and sent the board flying along the water. It smacked into Fye and she toppled face first into the sand.  
She got up and quickly brushed herself free of all sand looking around to see if she had been caught even though it was obvious she had. Vincent sighed lightly and shook his head at her antics. Berret took Denzel and Marlene into deeper water with the boogie boards. Tifa and Yuffie practiced staying upright on their boards. For a while Faye practiced free diving, disappearing under the surface of the water, and reappearing after a long period of time. After she had grown board of this she retrieved her board and joined Cloud as he paddled out to catch a few waves.

She was surprised that the first few seemed all too perfect. In less than a second it all changed directions dramatically. Cloud was shot from his board and went flying into the next waves base. It crested and crashed down on him. Faye was silent as she watched the water waiting for him to come back up. Yuffie was the first to attempt to dive to help him. The pounding of her heart from panic made it difficult for her to stay under long.  
"Yuffie You will get pulled out, you don't know the current," Faye called as she helped the Wutai ninja up onto her board.

"Don't get off the board," Faye instructed as she held loosely to its side. She took a few deep calming breaths to slow her heart rate. She doubled into the water, arching downward and flinging herself downward. She disappeared under the turbulent surface.

She could see Cloud struggling to untangle his leash from the point of reef it has wrapped around. The board was pulling up on the cord, making it impossible for him to create slack of any kind. Faye kicked herself a bit harder as he seemed to give up. As she reached for him it felt like she was moving far slower than she should have been. He reached for her hand his blue eyes becoming a little hazy as he looked up. When their fingertips met it was like electricity had shot through her and set the whole world into fast forward.

In an instant she had jerked herself flush to him, one arm wrapping itself around his waist while the other started to reach down. Her feet planted themselves in the sharp reef's surface.  
One heart beat, She gripped the line and pushed Cloud down enough to unloop the leash.  
Half beat, She coiled her legs under her and shoved away from the reef.  
Quarter beat, she jerked to a violent stop, her ankle wedged into a crevasse in the reef .  
Eighth beat, She had to struggle to keep her grip on Cloud.  
Silence, She saw images of Zack's death and closed her eyes tightly. She pushed Cloud to the surface.

Vincent was on his feet, his cloak discarded in the sand, when Clouds board broke the surface with a wild splash. The blond headed male followed shortly breaking the top of the water with a gasp. In all of the celebration they failed to notice they were missing something, something important. Faye had not surfaced with Cloud. His hands flew to the clasps that held the gun to his thigh. Before the weapon even made contact with his cape he was racing toward the water. He pulled his shirt up over his head and kicked off his boots. He ran straight into the water. The sea licked hungrily at his pale, exposed skin.

Faye twisted her foot one way, gritting her teeth at the tearing sensation. The reef gave a little, so she twisted it violently in the other direction and wiggled it a little. Her lungs burned desperately for air and so she let a bit of her breath out through her nose, trying to make them stop burning. Her heart was beating wildly inside her chest as she continued to work her foot.

When it seemed as if she would gain no more ground she shoved herself away from the reef. Her ankle came away when her skin ripped into ribbons of blood. She gasped with the pain and her lungs filled with water making her choke and cough. She made a mad swim for the surface breaking through with a gasp of air and more coughing. She swam wildly for the shallows where she stood up and stumbled sideways and backwards. She coughed again spitting out the water that rose into her mouth.

Strong arms wrapped around her and she was dragged onto the sand. She clamped her eyes shut, the pain in her ankle nothing but a dull throb right now. She knew the moment she looked at it her whole body would be consumed in fire.  
"Move me to the shadows," she mumbled lightly and the same strong arms lifted her. She was moved from the hot sand to the shade where the wispy palms kept the sand cool.  
"You ok?" that would be Yuffie's voice, somewhere to her right. Faye regained her composure for the most part and opened her eyes.  
In the distance she could see Vincent standing waist deep in the water. For some reason all she could think was, "Silly Vinny… that leather will stick and shrink."  
As he came towards them Faye's voice caught in her throat. His pail toned stomach glistened. Her eyes traveled from his waistband all the way to where his long black hair swept his elbows. Her fantasy was broken when he pulled his shirt back on.

* * *

My dedicated readers,

I will be getting close to ending the first part of My Vincent Story soon. I have promised my quizilla readers a Transformers fic and I want to do a Public Enemy fic as well. I would like you all to tell me what you think about these two definant ideas.  
Also I was debating on maybe taking requests. I have a Zack Fair story in progress for a friend on quizilla if you would like to read that let me know. If you have a request there are three slots open and it will be a first come first serve basis. If I do nto know the series or character you want I may put it on hold untill I have properly researched said information in order to give you the best of your request. So message me about this stuff please. Again thank you all for reading and please leave me some reviews.

Yours always,

Jakob's Fox


	42. Comfort

Faye locked her eyes with his... but only for a moment before she turned them toward Yuffie. She heaved a sigh and sat forward carefully. After a short pause she had gained full control of her pain thresh hold and was able to lea over to look at the wound. To be truthful and bland it looked like her ankle had gotten into a fight with a cheese graider... and lost tenfold. With a quiet sigh she rubbed her hands down her sand flecked leg and hovered it carefully over the wound. There was a soft blue light to start and then it turned black and enveloped the wound completely.

Almost as soon as it had come it disappeared and she fell back onto the sand. Little beads of sweat beaded on her forehead. She covered her face with her arm. "Where is Cloud?" her voice was heavy with sleep. Faye rolled her head to the side to look at Tifa. Cloud had his head resting in Tifa's lap. Faye crawled to his side and carefully pressed her ear to his chest.

He was breathing fine, that was always a good sign. She moved carefully over his body healing any existing wound he had sustained. The blue aura emitting from her fingertips seemed to seep into the small cuts. When all bleeding had been stemmed she rocked back onto her heels. A slight sense of vertigo accompanied the movement. She shook her head and flopped back into the sand to let the light feeling in her head disappear.

"Would you like to go home?" Tifa asked lightly.

"No you go on and enjoy the rest of the day, let me rest here in the shade and I will be fine," Faye waved her off lightly.

As Tifa returned to the children Faye pulled herself up to lean against the base of one of the large palm trees. She was left to rest while Cloud snored lightly. Faye shook her head, the chokobo could sleep after anything. Her body started to tremble, the usual affect of healing another.

"You are shaking," the deep haunting voice of her past made her look up. He had his cape back around his shoulders and his gun was again strapped comfortably to his thigh.

"Healing drains my energy, even in small doses it draws away my body heat," she grumbled in return to his statement. She felt herself pushed forward and then strong arms wrapped around her. Warmth flooded her in a matter of seconds but she wasn't sure if it was because of his body heat or the fact that she could feel his chest pressed to her back.

He pulled his cloak up around her carefully.

To hide the blush that had crept over her face she buried it into the sweet smelling red fabric.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked her voice muffled. Faye sat perfectly still in the sand with her knees pressed to her chest. Her trembling made it difficult to avoid contact with the exTurk.

He felt her shaking and he closed his arms about her tighter, pulling her to his body. Pain shot through her and she heard Vincent's heart skip a beat. His hands tightened a little. She let the shadows take her mind.

* * *

__

**"Jasmine! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" the slender black haired male exclaimed in exasperation. She was laying in the snow on her back, her body clad in only her skirt and tank top.**

**"Making a snow angel!" She beamed up at him in sheer glee.**

**He pulled her to her feet and sighed. "You'll catch a cold," he said as he led her toward the house where a warm fire burned. They sat together in front of the hearth.**

**"Vince thanks for staying the weekend… it gets lonely," Jasmine mumbled lightly, the fire light dancing her eyes.**

**He buried his face in the crook of her neck, "I miss you… work is hard."**

**She gave a light smile, " it's alright, just don't forget me alright? You get transferred soon right?"**

**He nodded, "yeah but…"**

**The vision changed and before them flashed images of blood and death. In midst of it was Chaos, holding a limp form in his arms. As the image grew closer it was plain to see that it was Faye, shadows unfolded wings hung limp from her back.**

* * *

Faye's eyes snapped open, before her stood Yuffie. The ninja wore a peculiar smirk on her face.

"Comfortable?" Cloud asked, a smirk evident on his voice. He was laying out on his side looking at her.

Vincent's slow breathing pressed the rise and fall of his chest to her back. She realized that Vincent's face was buried against her shoulder. He was twitching and groaning, his mind locked in the dream still. Faye remained cool. " I had a vision, I have no control over what I do," she said. She didn't really want to move, fearing she would wake the sleeping gunner. Everyone else was laying in the sand and sun.

She caught site of something unsettling. A flash of green moving in the trees. "Cloud…" she whispered letting her eyes follow the movement, " take the kids to Beret."

* * *

Ok I know its short but I am using my boyfriends computer to post while I wait for a power cord for my laptop. Anyway its a little update for you dedicated readers out there.


	43. Play Dead

She did not move as she watched the movement carefully. Her hand reached for the butt of her gun which wasn't there. There it was again, this time she saw the whole figure. A man in sparkling blue and green armor. More of them materialized in the trees. She blinked when a piercing scream tore across the beach to her ears. Turning swiftly she found the others guarding the children and surrounded by the strange soldiers. Her image shimmered and she disappeared. Vincent fell forward and jerked awake.  
She reached to pull her pistol, but found only air. She then remembered she had taken it off and left it in the car. She cussed at her stupidity and launched to the attack. They fired on her. She shifted the woman in her grasp, using the body as a shield. She spun around at the sound of gunfire and two Alpha soldiers fell at her feet as Vincent came towards her. Cerberus smoked in his hand. Faye was about to say something when an all to familiar feeling surged from a single point in her neck.  
Her hands fell to her side and she staggered backwards. Faye's eyes flashed black and she growled showing off her razor sharp fangs that seemed to lengthen slightly. She reached up and jerked the barbed needle from her neck. Blood sprayed from the hole once before it closed over. She hissed angrily and threw the dart onto the ground. Her rampage was cut short as her eyes glossed, a sigh left her lips and she collapsed backward. With amazing speed the remaining soldiers gathered her and ran into the trees. Everyone was frozen in fear and shock. Vincent turned and picked off a few as they disappeared from site. Tifa was about to demand that someone go after them, but Vincent and Neneki were already on their way.  
"It always seems to happen like this doesn't it?" Cid grumbled.  
Tifa nodded and looked down, "seems like it."  
They took their things to the store and returned the rentals. Tifa took the other bike and Cid took Faye's car and together they returned to Seventh Heaven to wait. This waiting thing seemed to happen more often lately.

* * *

Vincent moved swiftly through the trees, his eyes not only keeping the footprints in view but also his surroundings. Everything had happened so amazingly fast… and she had been taken from right under his nose.  
"Don't worry… We will catch them," Neneki panted between breaths. His large powerful paws pounded at the earth while Vincent moved nimbly through the tree branches.  
Vincent sprung through the leaves and branches, his heart pounding wildly in his ears. First he had been taken… and now she had been taken. Somehow he felt that it was his fault they had captured her. Chaos swirled inside of him, anger and desperation burned through both of them.

* * *

Fuzzy… everything blurred in and out of view. Trees mostly and the blue-green dragon scale armor under her face is what she noticed. That's right…. She had been darted… and now she was being carried like a sack of potatoes. As the fog that coated her mind began to lift she was thrown violently to the ground. Her head collided with a tree trunk, and she quickly snapped her eyes shut.  
"How much was in that dart?" one voice asked.  
She calculated his location, '_to the left… about nine feet_.'  
"Same as the others before her," another stated.  
'_Right… about six feet_,' she thought.  
"She should be awake by now," another stated.

This one was much closer, she figured about three feet away at the most. The cold ground pressed unforgiving rocks and sticks into her spine. She resisted the urge to readjust to get more comfortable. Instead she concentrated on slowing her heart rate. This in turn led to shallower breaths. Being a vampire she could easily stop her own heart to sleep for years. Because she wanted to simply appear dead and yet still be semi-conscious about her surroundings she drew on Shadow's consciousness. This caused her temperature to drop dramatically, and her color to drain away. Her eyes glossed and became nothing but pale grey rings. She became completely unresponsive.

A warm hand pressed against her cheek before it was swiftly taken away. "She's cold as death," a female said. The hand pressed to her throat, "no pulse…"  
Faye heard another cuss, "damn it we are so dead."  
Her eyelid was pulled back and she glimpsed a hard face before a light was shown into her eyes.  
"Nothing… should we just leave her here?" They moved away from her then and the pitch of voices changed as they turned their backs to her.  
Her hands became the only thing that moved, and even then the movement was slow and precise with no energy wasted. She stopped abruptly when footsteps and ragged breathing came toward her.  
"What are you doing?" one voice asked.  
"Just having a little fun, that's all," the reply came from only inches away. The muscles between her shoulders tensed to the point of cramping. She could feel tiny featherless wings begin to form under her skin.  
A hand brushed her bangs back away from her face and a second hand trailed across her shoulder. When that hand wandered a bit to far she countered.

In an instant her blue-white wings had shot forward. The two end flight feathers closed together like scissor blades. There was no time for screaming only the moment where the face revealed the horror, for the blade-like sharpness of the feathers was deadly accurate. The head rolled sideways as the body fell and blood fountained from the stump of neck. Her wings twitched and shuttered from where they had fallen fully extended.  
"What the hell was that?" one stated in shock.  
"She is supposed to be dead," another stated.  
Her wing was roughly over extended and lifted from where it covered her body. She retracted it and they fell half folded over her.

"Just a reaction," another stated.  
"Let's rest for now, we are only a few minutes from the base anyway, we can take the body for proof," a deeper voice that hadn't spoken before, ruptured her bliss. She was enjoying this torture far to much. Now she could only lay in place playing dead. A strong feeling boiled inside her chest, and something told her, this would not be pleasant.


	44. Flints Return

"Vincent we should rest," Neneki stated.  
Vincent sighed, he could feel his body growing tired under the strain of movement. He nodded and stopped abruptly. His cape flutter all around him with his momentum. The waves of exhaustion were just now starting to wash over him.  
"We will be useless if we do not have the energy," Neneki panted as he sprawled along the cool earth.  
Vincent leaned back against a tree and slid to the ground. He rested one arm across his bent knee and let his head fall slack against his chest behind his collar. This shifting wind painted uneven shafts of light across the ground as the sun tried in vane to penetrate the thick trees. The light danced with the shifting of the branches, changing shape and size. He felt in that small moment that he could just lay there and let the world change and die around him.

Vincent jerked awake suddenly. Anxiety and physical exertion had really taken their toll on him. The sun was hardly visible behind the trees now, he had slept for quite sometime.  
"You were mumbling," Neneki stated from where he lay.  
Vincent looked up at him and found the red feline stretching in the tiny bit of remaining light that managed to filter through the trees. "Sleep never comes well," he mumbled pushing himself onto his feet.  
The large red cat stood and stretched, "Let's go." Together they started off slowly, walking instead of running. It was clear that the group who had taken Faye would probably be many miles away by now. All they could do was track them as fast as possible without wasting energy.

* * *

She was jostled awake, she barely managed to keep from snapping her eyes open. She was wrapped in her wings. They were tied closed over her face, she could tell because she could feel the feathers brushing back and forth over her eye lids. Her lungs burned for air and she chanced a careful breath. She forced comfort to the back of her mind and remained utterly still. Dully she dreaded, in the distant shadows of her min, the fact that she would be forced to meet up with someone she had wished to be rid of. She could almost grantee this would end badly.  
Dread seeped through her. The memories of what had happened in her past danced around her teasingly. She had to get away…but she couldn't just take them back to the bar on her trail… there were too many lives at stake. Faye tried to settle her mind by listening to the changing sounds of their feet on the ground. Much to her distaste it was all too soon that she heard their boots on cement. She prayed that they would just up and burry her… she could dig herself out. All said hopes were dashed when she was cast violently to the floor.  
"Well well look what we have here," his voice was the same… it made her sick.  
"We uh…." the males voice shook, "she is dead sir."  
The sound of his boots on the floor grew louder as he made his way across the room. She felt the toe of his boot press into her side. As if to test their words he kicked violently and a loud snap wrought pain over her body. She forced herself to stay still.  
The bindings were cut loose and her wings fell partially open, one covering her body while the other sprawled over the floor. Even with her eyes glazed over she could see him when he tossed her wing back away from her.

His sharp face had only become more cruel. His hair was clean cut but still greasy and brown. He disappeared from her line of site for a moment and she could hear him shuffling about. When he reappeared she saw he held a collar of sorts. She had to fight the urge to make a run for it as his scaly hands fastened the piece of metal about her throat. At first nothing happened, but after a few seconds she turned back to her normal self.  
"Look here, my little runaway," he grinned maliciously into her dead gaze.  
As if it might stir her into moving he flipped open a pocket knife. It got no reaction. Only when he drove it into her thigh did he get even a smallest reaction. Her eyes flared to life and there was a tiny rise in her chest but nothing more. The cry he had been trying to evoke was bit back.  
"Take her and lock her up, make sure her wrists are bound," he stood over her for a moment. "We have so much to catch up on," his voice was so sincere it made her feel like her stomach was trying to escape from her mouth.  
She was hauled roughly to her feet and drug away down a hall. They strung her up by her wrists and locked the door as they left, like they were afraid she might escape from them. With blood dripping from the wound on her leg she closed her eyes wearily. The sound of footfall died away.


	45. Running Out Of Time

It seemed as if the hands of the clock were deliberately moving slower than they had that morning as Tifa glanced up at it for what would be the millionth time since they had arrived home. The atmosphere of the little bar was stiff and thick, the members of Avalanche were finding it hard to simply wait around.  
" I am going to work on something…" Cid broke the silence that had held the bar since their return.  
Beret took the opportunity to stand and make a hasty retreat, "I think I will take the kids out for ice cream." Marlene and Denzel shared a glance. It wasn't often that someone took them out for ice cream… in fact Faye was the one who usually indulged their sweet tooth.  
Amaya quickly got to her feet and scooped up Marlene, balancing the girl on her shoulders as she took Denzel by the hand and followed Beret out the door. She had to get out, or she just might suffocate before news arrived.  
Sith had left quite quickly when they reached the little bar in Edge, he was returning to Reeve to give the news of the latest happening. He too seemed all too anxious to busy himself in other tasks, if only to remove the thoughts from his mind for a moment.  
Yuffie counted, recounted, alphabetized, organized, and categorized her stolen materia.  
Tifa was the only who seemed to be able to stand still for more than a few seconds. Admitted it was only the time it took to clean a bottle and glance at the clock as she moved around the cache of liquor bottles at the back of the bar. She never was quite happy with the way she had arranged them.  
"Tifa, I am going to speak with Reno and Rude… we may need their help," Cloud said in a near whisper as he pushed himself away from his bar stool. Tifa nodded distractedly and mumbled an ok as the blond swordsman left the establishment as quickly as possible.

* * *

There was the steady sound of footfall coming toward her. It echoed dully through the windowless room that seemed all too bright for her sensitive eyes. Her eyes snapped open fully as the door swung out to reveal Flint. Faye bared her teeth at him as he approached her. She noticed the way he sauntered across the floor. Every muscle in her body went ridged. When he knelt down only inches from her she shot forward. She hit the ends of her restraints like a dog on a short leash, coming to an abrupt stop with the painful snap of her shoulders hitting their limit. She jerked back a little only centimeters from him, her lip curled back in a dark manor.  
He chuckled, "That collar that you wear prevents you from releasing that demon inside of you."  
She felt her stomach drop low inside her. A wave of sickness washed up with it as it rebounded off her pelvis and into her throat. Faye had to swallow a few times to keep the bile down even as it burned up her throat and onto her tongue.  
He grinned maliciously, "You are completely at my mercy."  
She growled, the sound coming from the deepest hollow of her chest. The sound was low and feral and dark, like a wolf backed into a corner.  
"I will meet with you tonight, after all we have so much to do," a foul tone gilded his words like rust.  
The sick trying to escape her and the dread that fed it boiled over into pure, uncontainable rage. She felt Shadow stir inside her chest, a tight ball of dark energy writhing for release. It hurt her, felt like the vampire inside of her was trying to force out her ribcage to make room for her own body in full transformation. Faye closed her eyes tight already feeling the tingling of the collars magic against her skin as the demon inside her gained more and more power. The Dark One fed off her hosts rage, letting it fuel her right to take over the body even by force. She pushed toward the surface and broke out, but in an instant she was filled to the brim with electricity.  
Faye cried out, completely startled at the sensation of lightening running rampant in her body. It made her muscles writhe and twitch and spasm. As Shadow retreated she collapsed forward, letting her wrist pull against the chains binding her.

* * *

The trail was slow. Silence hung in the air around the pair of trackers like a noose, tightening ever so slightly as they continued on their way. It was easy to tell that Neneki was uncomfortable, for the cat would pace forward and then circle back growling darkly to himself. Vincent was also having trouble. The changing terrain made if far more difficult than he had hoped . His tired eyes made it nearly impossible to keep the tracks properly monitored. He had lost it more than once now, if the feline hadn't found the trail with his keen nose again they might have been wandering the woods chasing nothing but a ghost. There was so little he could do, and not knowing what was happening was enough to make Chaos stir into a dim state of awareness.  
'_Vincent,_' Chaos sounded agitated.  
'I know,' Vincent replied as he sprinted a head a long side Red.  
They were running out of time.


	46. A Call for Help

Night fell far quicker than she would have liked. There was a stillness that hung in the air, one that made her ears ring. She was stiff from how she had been sitting. Her entire body pulsed small numbed pains here and there. As the door swung open she could see through the window on the far side of the hall for a brief moment. The sun had gone down painting the sky a dark orange, but the view was blotted out by greasy brown hair. She bristled and angry snarl pulling her lips back from razor sharp fangs. A dark guttural growl rumbled up from somewhere deep in her chest.  
Flint stepped through the door and it shut behind him. He moved forward with a deliberate slowness.  
Her eyes flashed black but only for a moment before an intense electricity pulled her toward the ground.  
"It is no use…you are mine now," his voice made her sick.  
Faye glared up at him as he knelt and lifted her chin with his hand. She watched as his eyes roamed her body, following the lines of every curve. She trembled under his gaze.  
'_Faye run!' _Shadow's voice was loud in her ears. The urgency in the spoken order made worry boil up in her stomach.  
'_How_?!' Faye asked and at the same time she tugged on her restraints.  
'_You have to try! Please… I can not let you go through this!'_ something in the vampires voice turned her anger into pure panic.

Faye tried to calm herself, taking in deep breaths.  
Flint smirked as she righted herself onto her knees, "Don't make a sound and I won't kill you."  
Visibly her eyes flashed grey and widened. She backed away from him until she had pressed herself against the wall. Faye's hands began to work without her really doing anything.  
He advanced on her, reaching out to trace the V of her throat. She gasped in fear and disgust when his finger traced a circle over the swell of her breast.  
"How many times you denied me," Flint's voice was heavy with lust. He caught the strings of her only clothing -her bikini-, and in one rough motion cut them away. She twitched and bit into her lip as something cold and metal pressed against her ribs and her bikini fell away. Fear was the only thing on her mind as she tried to cover herself up.  
She held down an involuntary cry when his hard callused hands closed roughly over her breasts. Tears bubbled up into her eyes when the feeling of vulnerability flooded over her. His unwelcome hands on her body made her cringe inwardly. She couldn't back away from him as he ran his fingers over the warmth between her legs.  
Even as she dreaded what would happen, her hands continued to work to get herself free. His greedy mouth found the peak of her breast and she clenched her eyes closed. Tiny tears fell from her eyes to solidify and fall onto the concrete and roll away. She felt a twinge which broke with Shadow's voice, '_I am sorry!'_

Suddenly her hand lit with brilliant fiery pain. She tugged it toward herself instinctively and with only a small resistance it pulled free. She shook it with such force that the dislocated thumb popped back into place. In an instant she had dragged him away from her by the had and jerked his head sideways. She bared her fangs and dove for his throat. Sour tainted blood flooded past her teeth. She backpedaled quickly and gagged raking her tongue between her teeth trying to get the taste to go away. He was on her again instantly, slamming her so violently into the wall that her vision blurred.  
'VINCENT!' She yelled into her mind surly making Shadow go temporarily deaf. She ignored the fact that this was one of the first times she had used his name. There was a small moment when she wondered why she called for him and not Cloud or Cid or Beret.  
She would never admit it to his face but she felt something for him, she always had. She realized now though that those feelings were far stronger than they had been in the past. Thankfully Flint was content at the moment to touch and grope. She concentrated on the burning in her heart for her silent crimson clad gunman and hopped that someone was coming to help.

* * *

Cloud's bike roared under him as he sped head long up the road toward Healin Lodge. When he topped the hill he put on the breaks. The whole vehicle slid sideways, spraying gravel up onto the deck of the lodge. The blond leapt from his Fenrir and sprinted up the stairs. His fist crashed against the door and his voice boomed, "Shin Ra! Open the door!"  
There was silence all around him. With fear and panic coursing through him Cloud was almost sure he could force his way in. Just as he was about to thrust his foot into the metal, the heavy rectangle opened only just. Behind the opening Cloud could see a shock of red hair.  
"Let me in Reno," the blond practically growled.

The Turk pushed the door open and stepped out of the way.  
"Shin Ra I need a chopper on standby," he stated before he had even stopped in front of the young president.  
"Why on earth… Rufus was cut off by a pair of worried voices.  
"Is Faye ok?" It was the two Turks who were involved most with Avalanche.  
"She has been taken…Neneki and Vincent are going after her but we may need a fast escape," the ex-Soldier's statement was quick and shallow.

* * *

Chaos raged. Vincent could feel him thrashing about inside his chest, pushing against his ribcage trying to escape.  
'_She is calling for us Vincent she needs help!' _the demons voice strained a little.  
"This way Vincent," Neneki called turning abruptly.  
The scent of blood made the gunners head swivel about quickly. A man in strange green-blue armor lay crumpled on the ground. Following the spray of crimson that left a trail across the ground Vincent found the mans head. It eased his mind to see the blood, it told him she still fought or she had fought.  
Suddenly they were on the steps of the compound.  
"Go get her Vincent… I will handle the guards here," Neneki crouched, "Give Chaos the run of the leash for me."  
There was no argument as Vincent moved toward the doors and disappeared.


	47. She Fades

**OOC: Before we start this chapter I want to warn about the content. YOU PROBABLY WONT LIKE IT VERY MUCH seeing as what happens to the main character. Please don't stop reading I am no where near being done with this epic story. Anyway I promise that this isn't how it ends and there will be more chapters yet so again dont stop reading just because of what I do. There is a reason behind it but to save you from the spoilers you will just have to read and find out.**

The dagger in Flints hand had bitten into her side. She let the scream escape between her teeth. She was suddenly aware of someone very powerful moving through the building, a wave of reassurance was followed by sharp pain.  
'_Call him!'_ Shadow urged as she struggled against the collar to stop the bleeding. Pain consumed her, ate at her from the inside out. It completely numbed her mind. The warmth that seeped over her was strange. Her brow furrowed as she tried to draw a breath. She could hear herself wheezing . But the hissing of air was not coming from her mouth, instead it escaped from her side where the knife had been slipped cleanly between her ribs.  
The tiny bit of air she was able to hold in her lungs was enough to allow her to scream for help.

"CHAOS!" It was a terribly small sound, but she knew he could hear it. A tiny bit of blood dripped off her bottom lip to run a trail over her chin and down her neck. Faye choked on the coppery taste in her mouth and flecked her attackers face with crimson.  
He grinned darkly and gave the blade another hard shove. It was already buried, the guard pressed tightly to her ribs. The combined pain of the point in her body and the bending on her ribs brought a sharp gasp from her lips.

* * *

The hot coppery scent that suddenly broke from behind the door made Vincent's heart spasm. The call that followed brought his attention fully around. How did she know Chaos had control? There was no time to think about that as Chaos spun about on his heel and blasted in the direction of the voice

* * *

.The pain that consumed her was incredible. It made her hands involuntarily close about his wrists. The warmth that had consumed her body only seconds ago was quickly fading. Breathing was pushed to the point that with each attempt it brought with it a thin crimson ribbon from nose and mouth. Her breaths turned to little gasps that gave no air to her flooded lungs at all.  
'_Shadow I can't breath!' _she spoke in broken frantic words.  
'_The collar! I can't do anything because of the collar!'_ the vampires own voice was rattled with fear.  
Faye began to struggle, one hand closing weakly over Flint's throat while the other battled to control the knife.

* * *

Chaos tore away the last guard and shot away the door with the massive gun in his clawed hand. The scene he found in the room beyond the melted metal door made his eyes darken in rage. The greasy haired man was hovering over Faye who was completely naked. A few bruises were forming here and there on her body, and her wrists were a little bloody. His eyes found the source of the large puddle of crimson spreading across the floor. The blade of a dagger was buried between her ribs. Her pale eyes widened when the demon leveled his gun and fired.

* * *

Chaos pointed his pistol in her direction and she froze. The shot made her gasp. The gasp in turn brought her into a fit of coughing as it filled her lungs with air that didn't help. Flint screamed and a spray of blood spattered the wall. She saw him slump forward in her tunneling field of view. Chaos rushed toward her and with a few words she couldn't hear he pulled the blade free  
.The action sent a wave of searing pain through her and she whimpered. A hand pressed tightly against the hole but the blood just seeped through his fingers. Event though he was causing the pain…his face, usually twisted with hate and rage, was soft. Faye didn't care that he was so close to her bare body, she just wanted to live. She was slowly suffocating and now her sight had gone completely.  
'_NO! Fye hold on!'_ Shadows voice was getting farther and farther away, '_The Collar Fye, get him to take the collar off!'  
_With the last bit of energy that still lingered in her body she lifted her hands and wrapped them at the searing metal.

* * *

Chaos gave control back to Vincent quickly. The quiet gunman was sick to his stomach suddenly. For the first time since the incident with Lucrecia he was afraid. His heart was twisted into a knot that made it hard for him to breath. He removed his cape with one hand while the other remained pressed tightly against the wound to stop the bleeding. He covered her naked body with it. She was shook violently, her body convulsed a few times as she tried to breath. Her eyes were glossy and pale with a cloudy haze, tears threatened to spill from them. She closed her hand over the metal at her throat and the second her flesh made contact it burned and hissed. Her mouth formed a cry that held no sound. She panicked again and her bleeding fingers clawed wildly at the collar.  
'_She is dying! Her heart is fading Vincent!'_ Chaos couldn't quite explain nor understand the twisted sick feeling in his stomach that was Vincent's fear. '_It's the collar, she can't heal herself, hurry get it off!' _the demon almost screamed.

* * *

Faye left the collar to reach blindly towards Vincent before darkness overcame her and everything ceased to exist.

* * *

As he broke away the collar she let go and in that moment he realized something that turned his reality upside down. He felt his heart shatter and all meaning to life slipped away from his grip, he finally understood what she meant to him. She was his entire life and again he had lost that gift.


	48. I Don't Blame You

Neneki navigated his way through the building. Chaos had made short work of the many armed men through out the entire compound. His heart thundered wildly in his chest and his flaming tail whipped about in agitation. The crimson staining his already red fur was turning rusty and matting. The bodies around him began to turn to brilliant forms of light as they returned to the life stream.  
As he rounded the final corner he met Vincent. In his arms he carried a limp form wrapped in his crimson cape. As he grew near he could see messy blond hair. The great lion felt his heart fall in on itself. A sadness that was unexplainable swept up to take hold of him. His head fell against his chest and his gaze focused on the floor. Crimson dripped from the elegant, pale fingers to puddle on the tile. Neneki looked up at Vincent and sympathy joined an even stronger pain.  
The gunman's usually blank expression was broken and full of unspoken sadness. His crimson eyes were glowing an orange color… Chaos was still close to the surface. He seemed to be struggling with these feelings and how to deal with them. His hands were gripping tightly to the pale body he carried. Neneki noticed for the first time just how utterly small she was. Against Vincent's tall lean form she was frail and just little… like a child. The feline turned and lead the way to the steps.

Vincent struggled. His chest was tight and his heart pushed painfully against his ribs. He blinked the blurriness away from his gaze and took one step. Positive he wouldn't collapse on the spot he moved slowly after the red cat. His uneven breaths made him shake slightly as he sat on the steps outside. He cradled the body in his arms.  
"I am so sorry," his voice broke. Had his mind been else where he might have noticed this is what Lucrecia whispered to him.  
Reluctantly he flipped open his cell and sent a message to the team.

* * *

The phone sitting on the bar buzzed wildly. The little device skittered toward the edge ready to fall to the floor in search of attention. A nimble anxious hand snatched the cell phone from the bar top. All around the brown eyed woman faces pressed closely together.  
"Who is it Tifa?" Yuffie was the only one unable to sit still as usual. With worry, for the ninja, came fidgeting.  
"A text…" Tifa mumbled and flipped the phone open. Her brow pulled up wrinkling her forehead a little. "From Vincent," she nearly dropped the phone in her moment of excitement. Again the faces around her pressed a bit closer.  
"We found her," Tifa started reading but she stopped when she read the last words. She didn't snap the phone closed, instead she simply passed it on to whoever was standing closest. Cid grabbed the little black device before Yuffie got a chance to read the message. In less than a second his eyes dulled and a few dark cuss words fell quickly in the silence.

Reeve too it next and so on until the entire room was silent. Yuffie stood completely still. Her hands were balled into fists and her entire body shook. Her mouth was pressed into a tight thin frown and tears threatened to spill from her dark eyes. Tifa stepped toward her and embraced her tightly. The phone lay on the floor where the Wutai ninja had dropped it , shinning it's message at the floor.  
'We founder, but we were too late…'  
Cid left again and Beret followed him out, needing his space.  
Cait Sith, who was sitting atop Reeve's shoulder looked over at a picture on the wall. Faye was clinging to Cloud and grinning like mad. They really could have been twins. "Oh lass… it was just startin' tah feel like a family again," he said sadly.  
Her presence had lifted the spirits of the whole team, even Vincent seemed lighter with her around. It had been such a long time since Cloud had smiled, and she had changed that just by coming back through the doors.  
"Cloud will be devastated," Reeve mused sullenly.

Amaya sat cross-legged on the floor with her swords at her left side. She didn't even need to see the message to know what was going on, the silence and Yuffie's sniffles had told her everything she needed. All she could do now was pray.  
Marlene came down the stairs just about this time. Her little feet carried her directly toward Amaya. "Why is everyone so quiet? Why is Yuffie crying?" the brown haired girl tugged at Amaya's sleeve.  
The sword artist lifted her gaze to the child. Behind the young girl she could see Denzel watching from the landing near the stairs. "There's something you should know, Faye is not with us anymore," Amaya's voice was gentle. She saw Denzel look away.  
Marlene's eyes gleamed with the pure innocence only a child can have. With a broad smiled the girl stated, "She will come back."  
A lump rose in the Amaya's throat. She was about to correct the girl, but found that she didn't really have the heart to. "I hope your right," She rubbed her hand over the child's head.

Cloud came through the door a few moments later. The two more familiar Turks followed him in. It took only a moment for Clouds mind to calculate what happened. His face fell and his eyes closed tightly. "No…" he whispered.  
"She's gone Cloud," Reeve said looking away from him.  
Cloud lifted his gaze toward the roof and stated sadly, "you have taken two from me already… and you take her too?" When he let his chin fall against his chest he asked, "where are they?"  
Amaya got up and moved to a small panel on the wall. When she pushed on it, it hinged open smoothly and she pulled out a little black box. She twitched her finger over a button and the device turned on. A map of the region flickered to life. A red X marked the location of all the members of AVALANCH, or at lead the ones that carried a cell were bunched together in Edge and two wandered about in Midgar. She found the one she wanted, miles from Del Sol a lone X was unmoving.  
"Found them," Amaya pointed out the X.  
"Let's go," Reno pulled Cloud about by the shoulder and they went to get the chopper.

* * *

Neneki watched Vincent from the corner of his eyes. The red eyed male never took his gaze from the body in his arms. He stroked her pale cheek gently with the pad of his thumb. He mumbled quietly, repeating his whispered apology. The stillness was broken when the sound of rotor blades cutting the air brought a chopper over the tree line. Violent gusts of wind assaulted them. The side door opened and Cloud baled out His face was sad and angry. He was focused directly on Vincent who was still almost clinging to the body his cape covered.  
Neneki stepped into the blondes path, "Easy on him Cloud, he is not well."

As the chopper touched down Cloud was already moving. Anger rose in the blonde when he saw Vincent holding a bundle tightly in his arms. Though the urge to blame it all on the gunman was shattered when Neneki spoke. Cloud looked again, closer this time, and shock washed out his anger. Vincent seemed broken in all ways. Clouds resolve softened and he stopped. Cloud motioned for Vincent to hurry.  
Once inside the chopper Vincent looked up at Cloud, the pain he was feeling clearly showing in his eyes. "I am sorry Cloud…" he mumbled, his deep voice rang for a long time in the silence of the small room.  
"I don't blame you," Cloud said. Again if they had been paying attention they would have realized the words had been said before.  
From then on everything remain quiet. No one spoke and no one made eye contact. When they landed Vincent started in a different direction, "bring them to the old Shin Ra manor." Cloud did not ague. They parted ways and were quickly gone.

( I know nothing too great here but it will get better!)


	49. I Can't Go Yet

(Its a little short but yeah i will try to type another soon.)  
Vincent took little time to reach his destination. The old manor threatened to bring back memories, but the gunman suppressed them quickly. He pushed the door open with his shoulder and pressed into the dusty, dark entrance hall. He walked around the corner into the study/library. Books filled the shelves from floor to ceiling. There was a couch in the middle of the big room, facing a fireplace and the only wall that was not smothered with books. He rested her body on the couch and hurried off to look for something to put her in… he felt it better if she weren't bare when they arrived.

****

Faye floated in the dark for a long time. She could hear familiar voices. These voices were not the ones she wanted to hear now. Zack was the first to call for her. "Fye?" His voice was echoing around her like ripples on water. There was silence, and then he tried again, "Fye come on." There was a gentle tugging. Zack appeared in front of her in the blackness, "Lets go sis you can't just be hangin around like this." He held out his hand for her.  
Faye shook her head, "No Zack I don't want to leave." Her voice broke. She shook her head and held her hand to her chest. "I can't go yet," she sniffed and shook her head furiously.  
"Fye…" he whispered sadly.  
"I can't not yet Zack… give me a day," she whispered sadly, "I just wanna see him… one more time." She looked down making her bangs fall down around her face.  
Zack smiled sadly at her, "alright." He evaporated again and she noticed that the darkness went with him.

A room materialized before her and she looked around. Her translucent body hovered in the air well above the floor. She made her way through the rooms to find where she was. She stumbled upon a leather clad gunman part way through her search. He was leaning over something. As she drew closer she found that he was gently wiping the blood from her body. His face was solemn and calm. She closed her eyes and tried to make her presence known. It didn't work and when she looked again he had dressed her body in an elegant gown.

'_Oh Vincent,'_ she whispered. She wanted nothing more than to reach out and brush her knuckles across his face. She wanted to spill everything. She bit the inside of her lip instead.

She looked like a real vampire now he mused. Her pale skin contrasted beautifully with the gown he had dressed her in. Its crimson fabric darker than blood. He closed his eyes and took the cloth and bowl of water away.

It didn't take the group to arrive and Vincent left to answer the door. Everyone came in and settled on trying to figure out what they would do next.  
"I think… maybe we should lay her with Aris…" Tifa suggested. No one argued and no one agreed. It was just not a subject they really wanted to speak about. They decided it would be discussed in the morning for it was already getting late. They all settled on the floor in the den and soon everyone had drifted off to sleep. Everyone but the gunman and Neneki.

Vincent dug out the locket which he had hidden. He sighed heavily after looking at it for a while. He settled it on the table next to the chair he was sitting in. His gold gauntlet brushed through his hair and he closed his eyes. The gunman rested his head back against the chair. Just as he was about to relax something in the library shattered. Vincent was on his feet in less than a second. He had drawn his gun as he approached the door. He was ready for anything but what he found.


	50. Arise, Creature of Darkness

The woman who had been dead only moments before was standing, or hanging rather, against a table. A vase lay at her bare feet where it had fallen and shattered. She was breathing heavily, her head turned down so that her long bangs curtained her face. She must have heard him for her head snapped up and her gaze flashed toward him. Vincent took one step back.

The eyes which had once been blue were solid black shot through with wires of chrome. This was not the woman he knew. She struggled to get her feet under her again and stand. Her face was gaunt and her skin was almost blue in color. She cringed and she made a silent scream as one wing pushed through the skin on her back. It was sickly, the usually white feathers were grey and withered.

"Help me," she said. Her voice rasped dryly.

Vincent became aware of the sharp elegant fangs that pressed into her bottom lip. "Shadow…" he mumbled.

"My true name is Mai, but yes I am Shadow," she trembled as the second wing struggled to release itself from her skin. The first started losing its feathers and receding back into her skin. She was not strong enough to maintain them.

"How?" Vincent felt his earlier resolve breaking.

"You released my power before her body could fully die," Mai said weakly. Her eyes were hooded and she bit deep into her lip. Where blood should have bubbled up around her sharp fangs, there was nothing.  
Vincent remained utterly still.

Mai inhaled deeply and gave a soft, needy groan. "So much blood," she purred.

Vincent shut the door quickly behind him, blocking the path to the others.

"What is wrong with you?" He inquired in a dark manner.

"I am weak… I can not call her back unless I am stronger," Mai stumbled sideways a few steps before managing to catch herself. Her lips quivered as the heart beats around her flooded the room with the smell of blood.

"You can bring her back?" Vincent's voice hitched in his throat a little. Desperation bubbled to the surface of his eyes and he forced it back down.

Mai nodded, "Yes… she is still here, but I must feed to regain my strength."

His heart was suddenly racing. It thundered inside her chest as if it were trying to reach out to something that wasn't there.

It made her feel drunk. "Your blood… and the smell of the others… its driving me right now… and nothing more," she struggled to stay upright.

In his mind Chaos asked for control. Vincent was unsure but obliged none the less.

"But… I can't…she would be so upset," Mai clashed with herself over her morals.  
A flash of dark light broke her musings and she found Chaos in Vincent's place.

The vampire tensed visibly in his presence, "Not now Chaos… this is not the time."  
He stepped forward, his burning yellow eyes hooded a little as they filled with the emotions Vincent held down. His powerful cawed hand gently took her by the arm.  
"Listen closely," he spoke in a smooth voice.

Again she bit deep into her lip to control herself, making a second set of deep punctures. Had she been alive her heart would have been pounding. She was drawn to the sweet, mouth-watering, scent of his blood. Her hunger was growing harder to suppress. His heart was steady, but as it washed over her it drew her deeper into her blood lust.  
Chaos supported her weight against himself.  
She closed her eyes and her breaths quickened considerably as the beast in her begged for release. She could clearly see the blue veins and arteries under his pale, perfect skin. She swallowed hard.


	51. To Break Her Will

She closed her eyes and her breaths quickened considerably as the beast in her begged for release. She could clearly see the blue veins and arteries under his pale, perfect skin. She swallowed hard.

"This... feeling...it makes me sick," Chaos looked down at her and brushed her dull blonde hair away from her face even as he sneered at her, " weak...hn pathetic." He turned away from her gaze to avoid being so captivated by her strange eyes. He could understand why his vassal was so taken by this woman. She was stunning and mysterious, and different from the others who tried to win him over. However the way she made him feel did not settle well with the demon at all.

She lifted her gaze to his face with dificulty. Her eyes narrowed at him even in her weakened stated. "I said not now Chaos," the corner of her mouth twitched up slightly in a snarl.

"To think, all this fuss over what, a sorry blood sucker who is controlled by her vassel?" he paused for only a moment baring his teeth at her, "how sweet."

Mai's patience was wearing thin now. "At least my Vassel does not hate my presence," she whispered darkly. Her hunger was now at the surface, and her mind was turning utterly feral.  
"How very like you Chaos," She chuckled her fangs lengthaning into menacing points.

"Mai," he said her name with a sickening sweetness in his voice.

It was becomeing harder to contain herself. Her fingers twitched and she was slightly drunk on the scent of his blood. The pure hate for this demon pulsing through her only made her more dangerouse, there was no doubt that he ignored it now.

"I think I will let you die," Chaos told her his own eyes darkening and narrowing into thin slits, "Vincent is going soft with you around."

She looked away from him, her anger feeding the monster inside. He pressed the sides of her face between his thumb ad and fingers.

She twisted away bringing her hand up to grip his wrist hard.

"You are pushing your luck demon," she mumbled.

In an instant Chaos held her roughly by the shoulders. "What can you do?" He growled lowly at her.

Suddenly that was all it took. She could no longer hold herself back. She jumped at him, breaking free of his grasp. She roughly jerked his head sideways exposing the pale skin and blue veins. She felt him go ridged in the milisecond of pause that happened before her teeth drove into his skin. Disapointed that there was no blood shesnarled against his skin. He was not fighting her.

Chaos had never felt pain like this. It burned for a minute, enough to make his mouth twitch into a grimace and his wings go ridged. The twitch of her snarl made it ripple through him. He snorted mental, he had been asking for it. It was however shocking with how much she tollerated. He hadn't expected her to resist for so long. She closed her teeth tighter together under the skin and pulled roughly. He growled at her, baring his teeth at the pain she was causing. The strangest thing was the fact that he could feel her fangs shift as she adjusted, though it was white hot and burning.

She returned his growl with one of her own, low and feral. She drover her needle sharp fangs deeper. His wings flinched and she got an audible gasp from him. A dark smile pulled the corners of her mouth up slightly. Her mouth filled with hot crimson. It made her body feel as if a fire burned inside of her. Her eyes shot open, turning solid chrome, and energy rushed to every part of her. She drew on the flood of life deeply.

He remained utterly still. A totaly new sensation filled him. It was sensual and strange. It sent ripples of ecstasy through him even though it was twisted about with the nerve searing burning. He focused on the pain, hating how good it felt to have her draining his life force.

Mai seemed to be glowing now, her silver eyes blazed with his power and energy. Her wings slowly unfolded and stretched wide to their full extension. They also seemed to be engulfed in a brilliant supernatural light. Her hair returned to its usual luster and her body warmed against him. He felt a little tired as he felt himself grow weaker and weaker.

Her own mind was screaming at her. If she killed Chaos there was no telling what pain it would cause, what things she would see...worst of all Vincent too would be gone. She would be banished from Faye and in turn she would die without a body. That was not a pleasing thought though right now she could have let it happen. It had been far too long since her last feed. With all the will power she had she tore away from him panting heavily. Blood trickled down the corner of her mouth and she wiped it away with the back of her hand.

He wobbled slightly. His skin was paler than it should have been and his eyes drooped slightly. He glared at her, also panting. It looked as if he wanted to say something but in less than an instant he had collapsed. She watched as Vincent returned and she culred up on the floor to find Faye in the only way she could, sleep.

Red had gotten to his paws when Vincent rushed out of the room. He had just made it to the door when it snapped shut blocking the path. Neneki listened close, his ears forward and his body still. There were two voices. One he knew was Vincent and then Chaos, and the other he thought was Faye's Vampire. It was hard to understand what was happening but after a while everything fell silent. Neneki pushed his way though the door slowly. He was surprised to see Vincent passed out on the floor and the vampire culed up not far from him sleeping. Faye had a familiar glow about her and he could see the tiny pink scar on the gunmans throat.

"Impetuous move," he mumbled softly.


	52. Returning

Faye felt something tugging at her translucent form. She was watching Cloud sleep. Her being in it self ached terribly, and she realized that she was starting to fade .  
"Fye," a familiar voice echoed in the back of her mind, hazing her thoughts.  
"Shadow?" she felt her brow furrow slightly.  
"You have had enough play time… there is someone who needs you," the voice replied.  
Faye tilted her head out of curiosity and confusion, "what?"  
"Come on, there is not time left," Shadow replied.  
Suddenly her world went black.

Blinding, white hot pain. That's what she woke to. Her body was mending her injury. She gritted her teeth and curled around the pain a little. She froze, pain… mending. Her thumb grazed over the fabric clutched in her hand. A sweet familiar scent hung on it… making her blink. Vincent. He slept deeply, his face serene and gentle.  
'God he is beautiful,' She mused to herself. Reaching up she gently brushed her knuckles over her soft pail cheek.  
'Good…your brain still works,' the voice from before sounded relieved and amused.  
'Shadow,' Faye thought.  
'Yes, I am here,' the vampire replied.  
'How am I… alive?' Faye continued to watch him sleep.  
'Chaos helped I suppose you could say,' the vampire gave a cynical laugh, 'I warned him that it was not a good time to argue and fight but he did not listen.'  
Faye remained still for a moment, unsure of whether she should be angry or relieved.  
'He didn't fight me though… I think in a way it was what he wanted, he just doesn't have the heart to offer,' Shadow clarified.  
Faye was quiet still and tears formed in her silver eyes. She buried her face against the crimson clad shoulder and wept in silence.

Vincent shifted onto his side, somehow his bed had become incredibly uncomfortable in the night. Reflexively his arms curled around the object next to him and he pulled it to himself. He dreaded waking, positive that his body would be stiff and sore. Slowly he came to, blinking away the sleep. He was surprised to find that he felt rather rested, there was a dull pull of sapped energy, but he was no longer tired. He brushed his hand lightly against the soft material under his fingers. Quite suddenly his mind clicked and his red eyes shifted to gaze down at the object he held. Faye was curled next to him, her hands clasped about his cape. He blinked and then the memory came back. Mia had was going to bring her back.  
The gunman looked closer. Her face was pink with color and her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. That's when he realized she was crying. Tiny crystal tears stained her cheeks.  
"Faye…" his voice was softer than he had expected it to be.  
She lay still and the tears continued to fall down her face. He assumed she was asleep.  
He listened to her breathing. "I am sorry… I should have been there for you… Please forgive me," he whispered and caressed her face. His deep voice nearly became inaudible. She looked so innocent and fragile. Her smooth brow furrowed, wrinkling her forehead.  
"Vincent…Please hurry, I need you," the words fell from her lips quietly.  
Vincent felt his chest tighten, "Fye, I am right here. You are safe."  
"I am sorry Vincent," the words were strained against the pain of her dream, quiet and full of unvoiced hurt.  
A lump rose in his throat and he swallowed it back down.  
She buried herself in his cape, "I love you."  
Shock washed over him, he had been told of her feelings and how strong they were but he had been consumed by his loss of Lucrecia. He fell silent and just lay there.

When she came too she was pressed comfortably into Vincents chest. She looked up at his face, expecting him to be sleeping still. However she found him watching her. She blushed wildly and tried to move away. It was about this time that Mai set her paralysis in motion.  
'You are such a prick…' she grumbled inwardly.  
'Deal with it, you know you like it,' the vampire replied.  
She blushed again and Vincents mouth twitched slightly into a small smile.  
"Are you feeling ok?" he asked.  
Faye swallowed hard, " a little sore from my wounds healing but otherwise I am alright."  
"I am sorry, I did not get there fast enough to save you," guilt dripped from the last words.  
She cringed a little, "I never blamed you Vincent." His name felt good rolling of her tongue.  
"You said my name," he mumbled.  
"I have always used your name," she looked away from his burning eyes.  
"No, you called me Vincent… not Valentine," he felt his heart jump slightly.


	53. You Chance is Walking Away

She didn't reply to him instead she examined the way the gentle light showed on his shirt. She finally regained her movement and she sat upright. Vincent easily got to his feet and held out his sharp clawed gauntlet. She took it lightly and let him pull her to her feet as well. She marveled for a moment at how good the cool sharp points felt against her felt himself grow warm. She was stunning in the old fashioned gown. The curve of the top complemented her body, bringing out the femininity that she so often hid. She blushed and looked down as she moved to sit down in a large chair. Her body was tired, Surely it was not easy to leave your body in death and then come back. She felt stiff and her muscles ached terribly. She felt like she had slumbered for years.  
Vincent partially turned toward her. He kept his eyes turned down and his hair curtained his face in black silk. "Faye… I have to tell you," he began. The door swung open at that moment and Cloud rushed in.  
She noticed that his eyes were filled with tears, though hardly there. He rushed past a disappointed Vincent toward her. Faye was wrapped into Clouds arms and squeezed.  
"Don't do that to me again!" he demanded and sniffed trying to control his emotions.  
"CLOUD!…Breathing…needed…to… LIVE!" Faye struggled slightly to get free enough to fill her lungs with air.  
Cloud released her and wiped at his nose with his sleeve, "Sorry."  
"It's alright…I'm just tired," she stated.  
Vincent gave her a look that broke her heart. His face clearly gave away the pain he was feeling. His pain covered an emotion she couldn't really see. He turned and left silently. She stared after him longingly, her heart aching. She wanted to make that pain in his eyes go away.

Cloud looked back trying to see what she had become distracted by. He just barely caught the flash of light off Vincents boots as he disappeared out the door.  
"He didn't look so well when I came to get you…" Cloud admitted.  
Faye's gaze fell to her bare feet. She gave a little sigh.  
"He just kept apologizing… and not once did he let you go," Cloud told her.  
"Cloud he watched me die…he has no feeling for me," she replied sadly.  
"Have you ever really looked at him?" Cloud nearly threw his hands up in frustration.  
Faye would have laughed at the way his hair stuck out in all directions. It was always like that when he woke up. However the situation did not feel so light, and she was sure that her own hair was nothing better.  
"He only has room in his heart for Lucrecia… that is how it's always been," she lied to herself.  
"Stop it! Your chance at happiness is walking away," Cloud snapped at her and pointed toward the doors.  
"And yours is sleeping by the fireplace…" Faye mumbled lowly remembering how se had seen Cloud watch Tifa before.  
"What?" He arched a brow at her.  
"Nothing," she said quickly. She let her chin fall against her collar.  
Cloud sighed and stood up, shaking his head he stated, "You wont get anywhere if you don't just come right out and tell him." Cloud turned toward the door and paused, "You must be tired I will get Vincent…I am glad your ok." With that said he turned on his heel and left her alone.

She was left with her thoughts for only a short moment… which she was incredibly thankful for. When the tall lean gunner came into the room she couldn't really bring herself to look up at him.  
"You may stay in the house as long as you like… it isn't in the best shape but it's a roof over your head," he told her. His own eyes were turned down. His baritone voice was even as he held out his hand for her.  
Reluctantly she took it and let him lead her up the stairs just outside the doors. She memorized how many steps he took and the length of his stride. It was his house which meant he knew every creak in the floor. She always made it a point to be utterly silent anywhere she went. When he stopped abruptly in front of her she had to carefully step around his shoulder. She took note that it was partially open.  
Faye watched in silence as pushed it against the far wall. The room on the other side was dark with a king size four poster bed at its heart. The walls had been painted a dark crimson and the bed matched the black hardwood floor with satin sheets. She held down her surprise.  
"I hope my room is acceptable," he told her.  
"Vincent… I can't take your room," Faye stammered.  
"I insist, you will sleep most comfortably in here," he remained firm as he led her in.

She let him steer her to the bed and she sat down. Clouds words hummed in her mind as Vincent turned his back to her. For a brief moment she let her eyes sweep over him. He had taken his cape off she was sure it was somewhere to be washed for it had been stained with her blood. She felt her breath catch for only a moment.  
"Vincent wait!" She suddenly called out. Her mouth had acted without the ok from her brain.  
He stopped abruptly, making his long silken hair flayed over his shoulders.  
"I…I need to tell you.." she started dryly. "Vincent I.." she closed her eyes to try and swallow her nerves and fear, " I.."  
Faye was not aware of the soft deliberate footfall as he came across the floor toward her. She trembled with the effort of what she was trying to say.  
Cool metal brushed against her cheek and she started, "I lo…" Her sentence was left to fall partially formed into the silence.

At first she was caught off guard. Her senses had suddenly been filled wit his presence. His smell, his cool metal gauntlet brushing over her skin, his hair sweeping past her face, it was all she knew at that moment. Heat spread over her entire body when his warm breath moved across her skin. Her eyes opened and she was gazing into his intense glowing crimson orbs. It made her tremble. She was stone still, unsure of what he was meaning to do at this proximity.  
He inched forward until ever so gently his lips met hers.  
Her mind exploded in pure bliss and blackness. Her heart was suddenly racing, and she was positive he could feel it thundering against her ribs. Faye circled her arms around his neck and pulled him toward her.  
Vincents hand slipped to her lower back and he too tugged her closer. She flicked her tongue over his bottom lip and earned a low groan from him. She wasn't surprised when he granted her access and in turn he deepened the kiss.  
Carefully he pressed her back until she was laying across the bed. His heart, though racing slightly, finally felt that he had found peace. In that moment everything disappeared and all that remained was her. He scrambled to burn the memory in his head, absorbing everything; the low light on her hair, the way the shadows played havoc on her pale skin, her scent. Finally he had to pull away for breath.  
Faye let her eyes flutter open when they parted. He hovered over her and she blushed furiously. Her blue eyes wandered over his face and his beautiful burning red gaze. She reached up and brushed the pad of her thumb over the gentle curve of his cheek. "Your eyes…"she mumbled, "They never changed."


	54. I Love You

Vincent closed his eyes, fanning his dark lashes against his cheek. She smiled at him.  
"I am the one who needs to speak," He finally said.  
Faye's smile faded as the situation became serious, but her eyes never strayed. However serious she needed to be she was finding it horribly difficult to keep her mind from straying to far and falling into the gutter. She couldn't help but notice the way his eyes opened and hooded ever so slightly.  
"I am sorry for the pain I have caused you," he started, "I am sorry for ignoring the things you stirred in me now and so many years before."  
She already didn't like where this was going and she felt a lump rise up in her throat at the guilt that surfaced for a brief moment in his steady gaze. "Vincent…" she began her voice nothing but a gentle whisper.  
He shook his head. "Faye when Chaos gave me control and I saw you dying…I have never felt fear like that," he looked away from her, his eyes burning holes into the wall.

She was acutely aware that THE Vincent Valentine was spilling his very soul to her. He was admitting to the fact that he had feared something, anything! She wanted so badly to speak of the fear she had herself felt and then the utter calmness of simply being in his arms as she left this world for the next, or even the overwhelming relief she had felt when she woke next to him. To know that she would be alive to simply see him made her grateful for the time she had been restored to. Faye bit her lip. The pain that burned inside of him rolled across her with a ferocity she had never felt before.  
"When I could do nothing but watch you fade away…I realized I could no long lie to myself… my heart wanted so desperately to deny it," he mumbled lowly, he concealed the emotions in his voice perfectly. His eyes finally turned back to her.  
She was utterly shocked to see the softness that had taken over him. In the days she had spent around him… there had never been a moment she had seen his eyes so gentle. She had seen him around the kids and he was different from normal but this was beyond what she had ever expected. A moment of unreserved weakness, on display for only her to see.  
"I love you," He whispered.  
Tears burned into the corners of her eyes. Faye had been waiting all her life to hear those three little words. She had suffered for years hoping against all she knew as truth that one day she could hear these words spoken in that silky smooth baritone voice of his. It made her bleed inside. Bleed in unspeakable ways, so much that she felt she might simply melt into a whimpering pool of nothingness. She held onto her solidity if only for a moment long should he say something else of such magnitude.

There was a pause and when she was sure her voice would not die on her tongue she spoke. "I have always loved you," she returned in a soft whisper, "I would have done anything to see you happy, even if it meant that she had your attention and not me. That's why I never said anything… I saw the way you were around her, I didn't have it in my heart to take that away from you."  
He turned his gaze from her again and for a brief moment she worried she had said something that upset him.  
" She was like you were… in the past, I fell hard. I will not lie to you, but dwelling on the past has gotten me nowhere… I think it is time I look forward instead of backwards," He finalized. There was a finalizing tone to his last comment.  
She accepted that, but she couldn't help the tears that somehow managed to slip past her lashes.  
When he looked back at her he reached up and ever so tenderly brushed the silvery tear from her eye with his knuckle.  
This side of him was going to completely destroy her. It reminded her so much of the Vincent she had lost those many years ago. She trembled with an unvoiced cry of sheer turmoil. She was lost, awed by his change of demeanor. She didn't really know what to do or say. Finally, after so many years she had found him. He was buried deep inside the hardened interior of this crimson clad sharpshooter, but he surfaced now to show that he was there. She would ask nothing more of who he had become, for he was not the only one that had changed.  
"Thank you…" she closed her eyes to avoid the tears that had pooled behind her lids.  
He kissed her forehead, "just rest now. The others may come to see you but I will have them go home tonight."  
His moment was over and he had returned to the cool headed gunslinger she had grown attached to. His eyes however remained a bit softer than they usually were.  
Faye nodded quietly opening her eyes to watch him go. He paused in the door way and gave her one final glance before sweeping out and silently clicking the door shut behind him.

'How do you feel?' Mai asked.  
'Better…shocked… I want to find Lucrecia,' Faye returned in her mind softly.  
'I will go through Chaos's memories and see what I can find,' Mai told her.  
'Thank you… for bringing me back,' Faye thought.  
'You are welcome…Vincent was in terrible shape after what had happened,' Mai admitted quietly.  
'Do not speak more of it,' Faye said not wanting to imagine the pain he had felt. She clearly remembered the pain she had felt when she had watched him bleed out on the floor at the hands of Hojo, she did not want to relive that.  
'As you wish, sleep well and untroubled,' Mai told her gently.  
Faye let herself drift off into a dreamless sleep.

She woke when the weight on the bed shifted to one side. A deep rumble rolled over her, resonating all around her. She blinked to clear the haze from her mind. Red fur filled her vision and its familiar thickness met her hands.  
"Do you feel better?" The voice was familiar.  
She could hear the age that hid in the depths of this voice.  
"Yes, Thank you Neneki," she mumbled as she buried her face into the short mane. The feline returned the affection.  
"You scared me," he told her. The weariness clung clearly to his words.  
"I couldn't do anything, he had Mai trapped inside, she couldn't heal the wound for me," Faye mumbled miserably.  
"So long as you are healing now," he sighed.  
She let herself drift off again. The soft familiar fur stayed with her for a while before finally he departed.

Amaya paused to look at the woman she had known for so many years. She looked like a child for once, not the strong defiant woman she had come to depend on for strength. She was not imposing or cold, but fragile and small. Her face gave away no hint of her age, she was as perfect as a porcelain doll.  
"She looked innocent," a voice startled Amaya out of her thoughts. She glanced over at Cloud, a tiny nod her only reply.  
Clouds face gave way to small lines of stress and slight signs of insomnia.  
"You need sleep Cloud," Amaya said quietly.  
Cloud gave a sheepish nod, "we can come see her tomorrow." The two left to find Tifa and the others.

The fur next to her shifted and she heard his heavy paws thump against the floor. Faye shifted onto her side seeking his warmth. She let her stiff body sink into the pillow top mattress.

"I was worried… Chaos made a rash move provoking her like he did," Neneki spoke softly to the gunner.  
Vincents red eyes turned down to look at the large feline.  
"She attacked him… drank from him so that she could bring Faye back," Neneki told the silent leather clad gunner. Because he was washing his cape to get rid of the dark patches he could not hide behind the tall collar. Shock pushed his brow into the red cloth tied around his head.  
"Take care of her Vincent," Neneki told him before leaving the house.  
Vincent was left alone with the slumbering vampire.


	55. Sins Can Be Forgivin

Vincent paused in the door way, his gaze focused on the woman in his bed. She rested peacefully. She turned onto her side and buried her face into the pillow and settled again. He finally turned away from the room and made his way back down stairs.  
'Chaos… why didn't you stop her?' Vincent used softly t the demon.  
'I may hate the vampire but you are in love with the human…besides you were utterly pitiful when she was gone,' Chaos growled sourly.  
'I see…' Vincent nodded tiredly. Chaos did not reply and so Vincent sprawled out on the couch in the study to sleep.  
Faye turned onto her side and groaned lightly as sleep fled from her mind.  
'You need to eat,' Mai said softly.

The woman did not argue, instead she tried to get up. Her body felt heavy and every muscle in her was stiff and sore. She finally made it to her feet and she gripped one of the posts to keep her balance before finally moving on to the large bathroom. She was still in the old gown and she sighed softly. On the corner of the counter was a folded stack of clothing. She unfolded everything, a black tank top, a crimson bra and panty set, her tight leather pants, and her trench coat. She smiled softly.  
After changing and hanging the gown up she headed down the stairs. She wobbled a few times and had to grip the banister to avoid falling flat on her face. At the base of the stairs her boots, socks and gun lay on a little table. She strapped her gun in place at her thigh and then put her boots on. Faye let her feet lead her through the house. She noticed that a blanket was thrown over the back of the couch. She yawned and rubbed at her eyes like a sleepy child. When she found the kitchen she pulled up short.  
Vincent was not wearing his normal attire, instead he had donned a pair of loose fitted jeans and a t-shirt. His long straight black hair was pulled up into a loose pony tail.  
With his hair pulled back she could see the line of his jaw and the soft curve of his neck. Faye bit her lip and traced the lines with her eyes; over his shoulder, up his neck, the curve of his jaw, and she took note of the few strands of hair escaping over his ear. She flushed a deep red. 'God… he's gorgeous,' she thought. The idea had a slightly giddy feel to it. It finally hit her, just what exactly he was doing when the mouth watering smell of food cooking wafted past her. Her stomach gave a defiant roar, loud enough that Vincent turned to glance at her.

The alien feeling of his heart jumping to life accompanied the involuntary shift of turning. When his eyes settled on her he noticed a few things. Her hair, which was usually kept in orderly disarray was left askew. Her eyes were almost metallic silver. Her cheeks turned red instantly and she looked down at her stomach.  
"Shut it you glutton," she whispered in an appalled manner.  
Her antics brought a tiny smile to his lips. "It isn't anything great, but… I remember making this for you once when you were sick," Vincent said as he spooned some soup into a bowl and handed it to her before serving himself.  
"You are still the same Vincent I knew… at least on the inside," she smiled at him, "though I'm not complaining about the changes." She turned quickly to avoid him seeing the gleam of deviousness in her eyes. She sat down at the table and ate slowly to avoid getting sick.  
"Faye, I'm sorry," Vincents low voice was even and firm. So much so that it brought her out of the enjoyment of the food.  
"Why?" Faye looked up at him through the screen of her dark ashes.  
"I had feelings for you long before I went to the Turks," he looked anywhere but directly at her. His crimson eyes gleamed guilt.  
"But," she started. He cut her off.  
"I knew you would get hurt, after I was around Hojo for a while," emotions surfaced behind the guilt in his eyes, "When I wanted to return… to check on you, they told me you were gone."  
"You did the right thing Vince… you moved on," Faye comforted in a gentle tone.  
"But you were right in front of me," he sounded a little stressed.

Faye stood and stepped easily toward him. Without a second thought she gathered him into her. Cradling him against her chest she rested her chin atop his head. "There will be moments when you do not notice things that at one time were important, but as we all do, you must not dwell on the past," she spoke in a gentle calm voice. Faye thankfully felt him relax against her. "All that matters is right now, nothing less and nothing more… and know that sins are forgiven…you just have to ask for it," she whispered.  
A startled sound escaped Vincent's throat. She looked down at him to find that he was staring up at her with wide eyes. She gave a knowing smile. He reached up and held onto her, one arm wrapping around her waist as he closed his eyes. The cool metal of his golden claws caressed her skin.  
"I have forgotten the past… and I was doing quite well until I came back," Faye mumbled.  
Vincent was quiet for a moment before saying, "It's my fault you are in pain."  
Faye stepped back and pulled a chair around with her foot. She sat next to him.  
"Vincent," she placed her hands on either side of his face and lifted his gaze to her own. "I will not lie to you, the pain I was in was your fault." He tried to turn away, and she hated the way that had sounded. She saw the light fade from his eyes, "Listen to me damn it let me finish," she said with a soft groan.  
Again he met her eyes.  
"I pushed myself through every day… the last memory I had of you was a splash of crimson on the floor. I made myself live everyday because I could hear you nagging me in the back of my head… don't you remember when my mom died? I said I wanted to follow and you made me promise that no matter what happened I would never just lay down and die," she felt her heart clench, "If not for me then for you."  
Vincent saw vague images of her as a child. He saw the corner of her eye twitch and the brightness of her silver orbs faded.  
"That is where the hurt came from. I was angry that I could not break my promise… that I had to live for you because I could no longer live for myself… I wanted so badly to just die," she shook her head, "then when I saw you in the bar over a year ago, that pain came back from where ever it was I had managed to hide it… but it was guilt then… guilt for the thought that I had been selfish enough to want to leave." She focused on where her fingers were fiddling with a lock of his onyx hair. She pushed it away from his face.  
His gaze fell and Faye quickly stated, "No! Vince don't blame yourself… I need you." She felt her heart fall when his eyes glazed over a little.  
Vincent wrapped his arms tightly around her, "Never again. I won't let anything hurt you again."  
Faye smiled a tiny, soft smile and she relaxed against him, and whispered, "Thank you."

After that he had returned to his normal self, though he seemed a little more at ease with life now. Days passed slowly and she regained her strength. She was alone on occasion and so she busied herself with fixing up the mansion. After a week and a half of hard work it wad almost as good as new. She was happy for once, Vincent lavished her with attention and the Avalanche gang come to visit while she was stuck in the house healing up. She made it a point to hunt regularly now and she was practicing more often to keep from losing her edge.  
Vincent came through the door that no longer squeaked in protest of the movement. He found her lounging in front of a fire. She was sprawled out on her side like a big cat in the sun. She wore a tight fitting tank top over a pair of baggy silk pajama pants. She had her eyes closed. Vincent paused to look at her. The fire gleamed its flickering light on her perfect porcelain skin. She reminded him of Neneki, the way she was stretched out.  
There was no denial she was as beautiful as she had been when they first met… even though she looked nothing like her old self. His heart ached for her attention for a moment and he shook his head.  
"Anything new?" Her soft voice floated through the room.  
He blinked, she still lay as she had been when entered. However her eyes were hooded and she was now watching him. Her eyes flashed with the light of the fire through her long thick lashes.  
Vincent felt his heart tighten slightly. He shook his head, "no, but the children miss you terribly."  
A tiny smile flitted across her face. She rolled onto her back to gaze at him fully.  
Vincent sat down in a chair and crossed one leg over his knee. He hid behind the high collar of his cape as she stretched and gave a long yawn. "You are feeling better I see," he told her.

She nodded, " I am." Faye crawled to her feet and padded toward him. In less than an instant he had swept her into his arms. She curled against his chest and gave a content sigh. She was quiet as she looked into his eyes, she got lost in them. He too returned the stare, studying her features, desperately trying to memorize her relaxed expression. She reached up and caressed his cheek. He closed his eyes and rested his hand over hers.  
He gave her one of his rare, pure smiles, the ones that flashed his brilliant white teeth at her. When she returned it without a thought his stomach flipped over. His whole body tingled when she shifted, brushing her hips across his. The gentle hand on his face was suddenly leading him forward.  
She couldn't help herself, she simply couldn't really get enough. She pressed her lips to his and he reacted in an instant. A quick intake of breath made her pull away, she hid on the opposite side of his collar. "I'm sorry Vincent," She blushed visibly. He said nothing, only lifted her chin and again their lips were pressed together. He flicked his tongue over her bottom lip and she opened her mouth a little to let him explore. Her body grew hot as her passion for him grew nearer to the surface. They broke apart quickly when the door opened.  
Faye gave a low growl as she quickly crawled onto the floor to lay as she had been. To her surprise Vincents eyes flashed yellow-orange as Chaos momentarily surfaced. She gave a devilish smile his way when he snarled and bared his teeth.  
The person who had come around the corner was Cloud. A wide grin played his features.  
"Oh Cloud you have wonderful timing my brother," Faye's words were good natured but they practically dripped with sarcasm.  
Cloud stopped mid stride and tilted his head in question. It appeared that he was still alittle unsure about the relationship between Vincent and herself.

* * *

A/N:Hey guys heres a little more fluff for yah cause its gonna be gone soon as the drama comes back in prep for the end of this part of the journy.


	56. Partys and His Mark

K I had to do the little gift bit because I use some of them later, Cids, Cloud and Tifas ECT. Also the next one I post will be the lemon. I will mark it clearly so that you can skip it if you really want to. It will not affect the story in itself, and you will still know what happened if you don't read it, just because of the way I ended this one and how I will start the one after the lemon. SO just a heads up for everyone. ALSO i don't really know if you could cut materia... but deal with it for the story mkay.

* * *

"Anyways…" Faye started snapping him out of his stupor.  
"OH! Right! Load up we are having a party!" Cloud said happily.  
Faye fell dramatically onto the floor, "Noooo."  
In mere seconds Clouds expression changed, "FAYE!" He had his arms crossed over his chest and he was glaring, "Get off the floor and get dressed."  
Faye made her voice high and nasally and she childishly mocked him, making the most annoying facial expressions that she could manage. He seemed taken aback. She then stated, "Not on your life Chokobo Head."  
"You will come!" Cloud argued stubbornly.  
"You know I don't do parties," Faye returned.  
The whole time Vincent sat, watching the pair in silent amusement. They really did act like brother and sister. He snapped back from his musing when Cloud stormed across the room, flung Faye over his shoulder and headed towards the door.  
"ALRIGHT! Alright! Let me get dressed!" She flailed. She had never enjoyed being carried really.  
"Promise?" Cloud asked.  
"Vincent help me!" She moaned dramatically.  
"We will come," Vincent stated.  
Faye fell limp against Clouds back, "Not what I meant Vince."  
Cloud laughed in triumph.

"Shut it Chokobo, before I bite your fat ass," Faye yelled. She was thrown through the room quite quickly. She was slightly surprised he had the strength to do that with her… then again he did carry around a giant ass sword. The prospect of a vampire sinking teeth into him obviously wasn't on his list of ok things. She had enough time to rotate her body around and land on her hands and knees on the wall above the archway. Any normal person would have fallen after a moment, but Faye stuck her landing like her palms and feet were coated in glue. The supernatural ability to walk straight up a wall and across a ceiling belonged to her rare species, Vampires. She glared at Cloud darkly.  
"Make me!" She stated standing up. She was parallel to the floor now.  
Worry flooded through Vincent. He knew she had little problem doing such things but it didn't make him feel ok at all knowing this. Faye turned abruptly about and strode across the ceiling until she hung upside down directly over Clouds head.  
"Just try to get me," She said triumphantly.  
"Faye… please come down," Vincent asked. He had stepped in ready to catch her should her concentration lapse at all.  
She lost the resolve of playing keep away from them. Vincents voice carried concern for her and she could tell his brow was furrowed under the crimson band. She sighed in defeat, "alright Vinny I will come down." She walked back down the wall and straight to him. He sighed visibly and she looked down like a child being scolded, "Sorry."  
"See you soon," Cloud stated finally getting the idea of their relation. He quickly left.

Faye moped as she let Vincent lead her up the stairs. She changed quickly and wrapped her coat around her. She hefted her pistol from where it was sitting on the table and dropped it into the black holster at her thigh. She had spent the long morning fine tuning the weapon and the night before working on Cerberus for Vincent. She stepped out and Vincent led her out to where the fine snakeskin green viper waited. She dangled the keys in his direction, "Want to drive?"  
He nodded and she tossed the keys to him before crawling into the passenger seat. She crossed her arms over her chest and continued pouting.  
"Your cute when you pout…" he told her without a second glance.  
Faye blushed furiously and smirked at him, "your…. No cute isn't the word you are just sexy all the time."  
It was his time to look a little shocked and she even giggled when his cheeks tinted red. He chuckled and pulled away from the mansion.

Tifa smiled as Marlene and Denzel ran about excitedly. The news of Fayes return had filled the pair with energy. The others that had gathered were also excited. They were sure she ha no idea what was going down, besides knowing it was a party. Vincent even got in on the plan. Tifa enjoyed the fact that they were staying together, it was official that they were a couple and about damn time in her opinion. Faye and Amaya had been back for two years now… yes many of the uneventful days went unrecorded by those involved. Amaya leaned against the wall near the door and when she heard voices on the thresh hold she quickly hushed the others into silenced.

"Vince… do we have to?" Faye whined. She had never really enjoyed parties.  
"Trust me, it wont be bad," he reassured her.  
Come to think of it the only parties she had been to were when she was a child. She always grew annoyed with the other kids and their selfishness, she eventually just stopped going and even neglected her own. She didn't even tell anyone when her birthday was, there were four people who knew it and two were long since gone.  
She let him circle his arm around her waist and lead her through the doors into the bar.  
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" the sound was over whelming.  
It was loud enough to scare her out of her mind and send her diving for cover behind Vincent. She was however, intercepted in her attempt to avoid the verbal bullet barrage. She crashed into the floor.  
"FAYE!"  
Both of the children had pounced her and were clinging onto her. She laughed and rolled over so that she could hoist them up by the back of their shirts.  
"First a party and then an ambush?" She arched her brow at them. Half of them laughed and Cloud and Amaya had the most sheepish looks on their face it was hard to remain serious.  
"Well the ambush wasn't part of the original plan," Cloud laughed.  
Both of the kids laughed and flailed trying to escape. She sat them down and they attached to her hands and drug her away from the door like they fear she might run. Faye gave Vincent a sideways glance and the silent gunman shrugged his shoulders.  
"Alright I suppose a party isn't too bad," she said finally convincing the two she wasn't going to run.

She was playing a video game against Cid and Cloud when the door opened. Faye found herself in mild shock when Vincent and Cloud beat her to the draw. Her pistol was only halfway from its holster while the other two had already replaced their weapons and relaxed. She blinked, "Damn… being dead really slowed me down."  
This statement drew laughter from Cloud, "Or it made us faster."  
She giggled, "More protective you mean."  
Cloud shrugged, "that too."  
She turned about when a pair of arms circled around her waist and it wasn't Vincents scent that met her. She was met with a shock of red hair.  
"Hey baby!" he chimed.  
She gave him a blank stare," really Reno?"  
He rested his chin on her shoulder, " I missed you."  
Faye ignored him to smile at Rude.  
"Reno… I do suggest you leave the lady be… Unless of course you want the Keeper of Cerberus to put you 6' under," a familiar voice brought her attention around again.  
Vincents eyes were blazing and his hand rested over his pistol.  
"REEVE!" she chirped and darted across the floor to hug the man.  
Reno in turn shifted away from Vincents glare.

"How are you Fye?" Reeve laughed and returned the friendly hug.  
"I'm alive," She looked around him and furrowed her brow, "Where's Cait Sith?"  
"Oi, Ya think I would miss your birthday lass?" the little bot appeared from behind Reeves leg and gave a little bow.  
"SITH!" She squealed and picked him up and hugged him.  
"I win!" Cid cheered bringing all attention back to him. His cigarette bobbed on his lip as he spoke.  
"You cheater!" Faye yelled. She sat Sith on his feet and leapt onto Cid. She clung to his back yelling as his spun around trying to throw her off. As she rounded near Cloud, Faye took hold of his Buster Sword. "Cheaters die!" She yelled waving the sword around.  
"GAH! Get off yah crazy!" Cid squeaked and spun and clawed more erratically.  
Cloud jumped in next taking the pair to the floor. "Gimme back my sword!" He yelled.  
The others laughed and continued to watch. Vincent shook his head at her and leaned back against the wall. Amaya was practically dying from laughter, Faye was back to normal finally. Somehow the woman managed to wriggle from unter the two men to sit on their backs.  
"Victory is mine!" she yelled, hoisting the heavy blade over her head.  
Tifa broke up the scuffle by calling them for cake and ice cream.

Faye was sitting at the head of the table when Yuffie bounced in with a huge cake. Just looking at it made her salivate. She made her wish, blew out the candles -of which there were way to many for her liking- and then cut a huge chunk for herself. She gave Cloud a tiny piece and told him he had to watch his girlish figure.  
This earned her a face full of icing. She returned the favor. When they were both satisfied that they had smeared plenty of cake and icing over each others faces there was a pause where they just stared at each other. They then busted out laughing. Eventualy everyone had eaten their fill and the icing was cleaned from Faye and Clouds faces. Yuffie leapt up and yelled something about presents.

Tifa and Cloud got her a new kit for her gun as well as a new pair of boots with nifty little daggers in the soles. She seemed far to excited about the daggers. Cid had made her a sweet hover board. Denzel, Marlene and Beret had gotten her a new pen set, a little box of drawing supplies as well as a new sketchpad. The kids specified that it was so that she could teach them how to draw. Yuffie gave her two special materia. She said that she was tempted to keep the dark purplish black one that glittered but decided that Faye should have it instead. Amaya got her a belt and gloves with the same charm that dangled from Vincents pistol. The gloves had the emblem engraved into the metal plates on the backs. Faye grinned. Neneki gave her three ravens feathers. She tied them into the side of her hair on long tethers of black silk. She knew the importance of the feathers and she smiled in gratitude at the feline. Reno and Rude tossed her a new trench coat, with the Cerberus symbol on the back and silver wings stretching across the shoulders. She laughed hysterically when she found a pair of Rude's sunglasses in the pocket. She put them on and stood between them with a serious look. The others burst into laughter when she got them to strike the Charlie's Angels pose. Reeve and Sith gave her a little robot.

For like thirty minutes she was utterly enthralled as she tried to figure out how to work it. Finally she got it to wake up for her and she couldn't help but giggle in pure excitement when it shifted shapes into a little silver wolf a little smaller than Cait Sith. Reeve said that it was a just in case, if she needed anything he had programmed the little robot to find help. She nodded happily. When she received the last gift she looked around. Everyone was beaming at her.  
"Thanks guys," she laughed.  
Her eyes landed on Vincent who was smiling behind the high collar of his cape, to bad for him she had figured out how to read his expressions even when he hid. He held a little rectangular black box in his hand, partially hidden in the shadow of his cape. He hid it from her quickly.  
She arched her brow at him. Yuffie dragged her outside to try out her hover board. The little Wolf bot followed her easily at a trot, she called it Mafia. It took her a few tries to figure out how to stay upright and not crash but eventually she was zipping about on it sweeping easily past them. As night began to fall everyone said goodnight. She waved goodbye to Tifa and Cloud before climbing back into the car. The robot had gone into stasis in her lap. When they got home she took it into the study and put it on the couch. She then danced back into the den where Vincent was looking at the Trench coat the two Turks had given her. He actually liked the fact that she would wear his symbol… in a way it marked her as his.

"Didn't you get me a present?" she pushed out her lip in a pout.  
He watched her for a moment before pulling out the box she had seen. He pushed it into her hand, "I didn't know what to get for you."  
She arched her brow at him and peaked inside. A beautiful bracelet faceted with stunning cut crystals stared back at her. "Vincent…is this…" she held it up and let the light gleame off it. Each crystal was tinted a different color.  
"Each one is a different materia," he told her.  
"Don't let Yuffie know that," she grinned at him.  
He chuckled and watched her admire it before he helped her put it on. He noticed that the moment it was fastened about her wrist it started glowing. She hugged him and crashed her lips against his. He gave a low growl that sent shivers up and down her spine. He pinned her against the wall and pulled away letting his glowing eyes burn into her. She kissed his neck, nipping lightly here and there. He closed his eyes and groaned, she was making this extreamly hard to resist.  
She felt her fangs lengthen, but she resisted and instead let him lead her up the stairs to his room.


	57. Fears Turn to Reality

Morning broke far earlier than she would have liked. Her body was tired and particularly sore, but her mind stirred her awake. Warm arms were circled around her waist, holding her tightly to the bare chest of a certain crimson eyed gunman. She reveled in the way his body fit against hers and just how right it felt. She was still for a moment, letting her body come fully around as her mind had so rudely decided it was time to move. When she shifted onto her back to look over at the man next to her she felt him adjust his hold on her.

She gave a faint smile and held down a yawn that made one eye twitch closed slightly. His long onyx hair spilled in a half-hazard way across his sleeping features, and over the pillow. She resisted the strong urge to reach up and push it away from his face. Instead she just let her eyes sweep over his face. She traced the light scars that ran along his chest and over his flat abs. She twisted around and easily slipped from his grasp, replacing her form in his arms with her pillow. He did not wake, only shifted a little and pulled the pillow towards him. She went down stairs and set out her new cleaning kit and began dismantling the gun she had taken from the holster which was slung over the chair in the bed room.

When Vincent finally woke he was surprised to find that Faye had replaced herself with a pillow, opting to not wake him up while she ventured about her morning routine. Vaguely in the back of his mind he wondered how she managed to do that without waking him up. Shrugging it off he pulled his pants on and took note that Cerberus was no longer in its holster over the back of the chair. Down stairs not only did he smell breakfast cooking but he could hear Faye singing loudly to herself. He marveled at the fact that she was real for a moment before muttering a quiet thanks to whatever gods were looking out for him.

A few weeks passed and she was now back at Seventh Heaven. A few blocks down from it rather. Herself, Tifa and Yuffie had decided to help Cid with some repairs to his airship. The hot headed man had refused at first when Tifa offered. He rattled on in a sexist manner about how it was mans work and the like. He resigned when Faye offered to assist him as well. However unsure he was about the others, Faye would do it whether he accepted her offer or not so there was no point in trying to argue.

" Cid I need that wrench!" She yelled, holding a sheet of heavy metal with ease to the curve of the ship. She was thankful for her quick reaction as the tool came flying at her head. With ease she moved her hover board over to tighten the bolts down.

" Your lucky we need you here Cid," She threatened in a good natured way as she lowered herself to look at her work.

"I heard that!" Cid called from somewhere below the belly of the airship.

"What are you going to do about it?" She asked back.

"I'll kick yer skinny ass!" He ranted.

"I am using that sweet hover board you made me," she stuck her tongue out in his general direction, "you couldn't catch me if you wanted to."

To her right standing on a platform Tifa laughed. Faye wiped her hands on a rag she had tucked into her back pocket as she directed the board to the floor. She threw the rag at Cids head earning a few sharp cuss words. Yuffie came out from under the airship covered in black. Faye shook her head at the Wutai Ninja.  
"Let's go eat," she said to them as she tipped her toe forward on the curved end of the board causing it to flip up into her waiting hand.

"Alright, let's go relieve Amaya and Neneki of their babysitting," Tifa smiled. Faye shrugged at the ninja who gave her a quizzical look before following the martial artist out the door.

When they arrived at Seventh Heaven Faye took notice that the guys still weren't back. She shrugged and went into the kitchen to find something to eat. She came back with a bag of chips and a soda. She flopped down into Vincents corner and sipped her drink. Neneki came to lay next to her and she mindlessly combed her fingers through his mane like she used to. When a bead brushed against her knuckle she twisted it gently between her fingers. He purred contently. Shortly after the others joined her as well. They chattered softly about everything for a while and the atmosphere was calm. Faye however was completely distracted from their conversation. She wasn't sure when her senses had become so acutely aware of the energy, but she could tell it didn't belong to anyone in the bar. It actually rocked her slightly with its force as it washed over her. She stood up quickly a sweeping dread filling her suddenly, "I need to go." She raced out the door and jumped on her board.

"Beret!" Cloud called. A small army had ambushed the group of three. However much he wished it weren't true, he couldn't find the bulky man anywhere. Cloud twisted around and lashed his buster sword out at the nearest group. It cut clean through the first to before lodging in the thirds spine. Three gun shots sounded from his right as he shook the body free of his blade.  
Vincent had thrown himself into the battle with the usual effort. The adrenaline coursing through him made his heart race as he shot down one after another. There were a few times Cloud lost concentration and nearly fell to a stray blade. He acted quickly to keep his comrade from being hit. To keep himself calm he made calculated shots. They were out numbered, and their chances were looking slim as a few of the soldiers that had been mowed down got back to their feet like puppets on a string.

The heart raced in her ears. Sickness washed over her as she stomped down a little harder on the peddle under her foot. The board rocketed forward as she raced along the ground. Faye came face to face with a small brigade of blue armored men. At the heart of the scuffle a red cape flashed in a complicated dace around the gleam of a familiar buster blade.

Fear sprang to life inside her and she powered forward. At the line that was the outer edge of the fighters she tossed a few explosive caps. The explosive cap scattered the enemy for a moment. She leapt from her board and hit the ground running. Faye's hand closed tightly around the grip of her pistol and she lashed it out against the nearest exposed skull. It bounced slightly when the metal cracked against bone and the man collapsed. As she passed another she fired into another's chest. A summon leapt up in front of her and matched her for a while. Nearing the others she felt her heart leap. They were ok. She knew that the moment the thought passed her mind it was a mistake. She saw the man leap head long at Vincent, who had turned to block and attack on Cloud who was struggling to free himself from something. The name forming on her lips didn't even have time to fall from her lips it simply died on her tongue as she watched it happen.

Vincent saw familiar blonde hair appear at the edge of the skirmish. She made her way toward them slashing and shooting wildly. She never missed a shot, even though her head swiveled about to single out her next target from the rest. The bark of her pistol brought a spit of flame from the muzzle. He was momentarily distracted by the breeze of a sword sweeping a little too close to his shoulder. Vincent retaliated, turning abruptly and firing Cerberus as he swiveled around. He put a bullet between a soldiers eyes.

"Vincent!" Cloud called in slight urgency, "Cover me."

Vincent easily fell into place, his cape flashing around Cloud as he fired at those who came too close. He glanced at Cloud who was hurriedly trying to unclasp his sword holster where a sticky green liquid was eating away the material.

When it finally fell away Cloud regained his composure… only to have a huge hole torn in it. Vincent gave an audible groan of slight shock and following was a grunt of pain. Cloud's gaze came up to see Vincent blocking a sword from crashing into the blonde with the side of his three barreled pistol. A wave of sickness washed through Cloud when he noticed a good four inches of crimson dripping sword protruding from the gunmans back.


	58. Cloud Run!

Vincent had his attention spread in three different directions. One part on the attacks that were coming at him, one part on Cloud and the last part on Fay who had been met in battle by a fierce Summon. The feline like creature was working her hard. She was barely keeping the upper hand on it. He threw his gun up to block a sword that flashed in the corner of his vision.  
'Vincent move!' Chaos roared suddenly in his mind.  
Startled, the gunman shifted as quickly as his position would allow. It wasn't fast enough though. A sharp pain spread over him as another slimy blade pierced him through. A grown of partial shock was his first reaction but when the blade was twisted violently he grunted. His mind was numb for a moment as he staggered backward when the wound suddenly began burning. Cerberus barked in his grip and a few others fell as he held tightly to the wound with his free hand.  
Cloud reached out to catch him when Vincent went to his knees.  
'This is not live Vincent,' Cloud thought. There was a sticky film on his cape that seemed out of place. Clouded rubbed it between his fingers and smelled it carefully. The pungent scent confirmed his suspicions, 'Poison!'  
'Vincent, you can't go down right here,' Chaos said. He sounded some what groggy.  
'I can't work my muscles,' Vincents reply was strained. He clenched his teeth as his body swayed.  
'She is coming. Faye and that worthless vampire can help,' Chaos felt a pang of panic. If Vincent died he too would no longer exist, this in it self was unacceptable.  
'Don't let her die Chaos,' Vincent growled.  
The demon didn't have time to reach the surface.  
Cloud roared in anger. He stepped easily between the slowly dwindling army and Vincents form.  
"Damn…" Vincents low voice grumbled as he was taken by another wave of the poisons burning.  
"Hold on Vincent," Cloud said. It was more of an order than a statement.

Faye had worn herself to the bone trying to kill the Summon and by throwing a few explosive caps she managed to scatter the enemy for a moment. They retreated to regroup. When they made a path for her to reach the two fighters she saw Vincent hit his knees.  
"NO!" Panic swelled in her chest as she sprinted forward. Her trench flew out behind her and the Cerberus on the back of her gloves flashed in the dim light. When she reached them Cloud had knelt down opposite of where she was approaching. She was suddenly sick to her stomach when the overwhelming scent of his blood smashed into her. She nearly stumbled back as her arm flew up to caver her nose with a hiss. The vampire in her surfaced for a moment before forcing herself back when she recognized who had been hurt.  
"What…" she broke off when the red clad male bulled his gauntlet away from his stomach. The golden claws were sloppily dipped in a sticky red that dripped from their tips. Tears welled in her eyes when she felt him weaken a little. The pooling blood under him soaked into her knees as she tried to battle the tears. Her hands fluttered erratically over him for a moment as the tears broke over the barrier of her dark lashes and spilled down her cheeks.  
"No … gods this isn't happening," she whispered. Her voice quivered lightly as she finally pressed the heel of her palm onto the hole firmly. He winced at the pressure.  
"Please Vince," she begged.  
"The blade was poisoned," Cloud told her.

The group of soldiers was coming toward them now. Tears were rolling endless trails down her cheeks. Cloud hadn't seen her cry… not since what had happened to Zack. She met his gaze, and he felt a very familiar situation coming. It was so strange to see her in Zacks place, the soldiers closing in behind her, and her eyes harboring fear, pain and urgency.  
With her voice breaking she said the words he knew were coming, "Cloud run!"  
The ex-SOLDIER shook his head defiantly, "Not this time."  
Faye felt the approach and knew that she had to do something to protect them. She couldn't fight and concentrated on trying to help Vincent and protect Cloud at the same time. The shadows surrounding her suddenly pooled over the crimson on the earth under her knees. Like when you put a rock on suspended plastic and pour water onto it, the dark splotched gravitated toward her. Around her they became alive, glittering and liquid against the ground. Her wings burst forth with tearing sounds as they pushed through her skin. The wings flexed and flared out to the sides. The shadow pool leapt off the ground and her eyes bled in black a little. She bared her teeth and yelled, sending the shadows racing toward the approaching army.  
It was not a simple move, in fact it left her terribly exhausted. Her wings went limp against the ground dragging brilliant white blue feathers in the blood and dirt. The enemy fell and the shadows disappeared back to their original position. With that taken care of she could try to focus what was left of her energy to heal Vincent. Her eyelids drooped and her frame sagged slightly against the pull of sleep. Her wings shrank back into her body and she pressed a little harder on the wound.

Her hands trembled as she struggled to focus the small amount of remaining energy in her body. A cool hand pressed lightly against her cheek and she turned to gaze at the owner.  
Vincents crimson eyes were trying to focus on her through the slight glaze that held them. She choked on a soft weak sob.  
Cloud pushed his hands over hers making her turn to look at him. His face was set in a determined grimace, "I will not let another friend die… not again."  
She drew courage from his glowing mako eyes. She turned her eyes back to her hands and settled in a little. The energy that washed off of Cloud made her feel drunk. She clenched her teeth and channeled his energy through her body. She stopped though when the bracelet of materia around her wrist began to pulse. The heal materia glowed the brightest. She watched it in astonishment, never guessing that being such small cuts they would still work. She felt the wound heal up and she flicked the slimy poison from her palms.

A sigh of relief echoed from all three of them and she flopped sideways in exhaustion. Cloud shook for a moment before calming down. Footfall set them on edge but they relaxed when they noticed it was Barret.  
"What happened?" he asked.  
"We nearly lost Vincent," Cloud heaved a ragged sigh as he sat back onto his heels.  
Vincent gripped at his head and sat forward, "I am fine now thanks to Faye and Cloud."  
Faye turned her head to look at him. Mai was voicing her hunger now that the situation was ok. "I need to eat…" she trembled with the effort of getting to her feet, "I will meet you at the bar." She stooped to place a light kiss on Vincents forehead before leaving with a slight wobble in her step.


	59. I need you

Hey there readers! Its L.T. here. I just wanted to warn everyon that this chapter is a little suggestive. With sexual themes and situations. Well anyway enjoy!

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When they were all safely back at seventh Heaven Vincent took in the damage. He was surprised at how well the wound had healed over. It was red and still tender but closed. He was caught off guard slightly when his window opened. For a moment there was nothing but the soft breeze of the out side world, but then he noticed movement. Faye came through the window easily. She looked slightly disheveled and there was something else he couldn't really see behind her bangs which were obscuring her eyes.

A chill ran the length of his spine when she closed the window securely behind her, as if she were trying to seal him in the room. In that same unnatural speed he had witnessed from her many times she flashed across the room and locked the door. It took a moment for his mind to register the way she stalked across the room toward him. Her feet were still as silent as they had always been but that wasn't what unnerved the gunman.

She reached a smooth, elegant hand out and brushed her fingers over his exposed chest. There was an exquisite slowness behind the movement and it sent jolts through him. She didn't show any reaction only kept her advance slowed and painfully enticing. He couldn't help the way his eyes swept over her body, outlined by the tight fit of her shirt and pants. The grip of her pistol glinted for a moment, strapped to the outside of her thigh it moved easily with each step. Finally she looked up at him. Her eyes gleamed pure, unadulterated lust. She suddenly captured his lips and pushed his opened shirt from his shoulders. She had to peel it over his gloves before tugging those off as well and letting them drop at their feet.

The sudden closeness of her body to his made him shudder and gasp. A sultry groan escaped her full lips and she threw her head back, her hips grinding into his. He involuntarily gripped the curve where her waist met her hips and pulled her closer. His mouth twitched open and his eyes fluttered closed when she teased him lightly. Her mouth brushed over his and she tugged gently on his lower lip gently before pulling back to watch him through half lidded eyes.  
She pushed him back into the wall and spoke in a voice that was full of lust and seduction, "mm… Mr. Valentine."  
He pulled her hips roughly against his and groaned. It was torment, pure and unleashed torture. She was drawing his need for her out and it was almost painful. Vincent was unsure just how long he would be able to control himself. For now he struggled against every human instinct in his body.

"I have a favor to ask you," she growled and tangled her fingers in his hair. Faye pulled his head back to expose his throat to her.  
A husky grunt was her ok to continue.  
"Don't ever do that to me again," her mouth hovered centimeters from his throat and she brushed her lengthened fangs over the pulse there, letting them press against his skin, but not puncture. She kissed that spot, flicking her tongue over the heat of his blood before looking up at him. A devious smile pulled at her mouth when he opened his eyes partially to let them blaze at her. She nipped at his ear lobe, "I will have to do terrible things to you…if you do not obey that request." He growled, the sound low and deep in his chest.  
One last time she nipped at his shoulder and practically purred, "I need you Vincent."  
That was all he could take. All his control flew out the window.

Cloud fidgeted, "something's wrong. He would be down by now." He was most concerned about Faye's reaction if she came and Vincent was not well. He started for the stairs but Amaya stopped him.  
"I wouldn't do that," she said in a singsong voice.  
Cloud paused at the landing and looked over at her, "Why?"  
Amaya looked up at the roof as if she could see through it to the floor above, "I have been around her for a long time… she would not like to be interrupted."  
Cloud's brow furrowed for a moment, "Who?"  
Amaya smirked, " Faye. She has been up there with him for a while now."  
Clouds eyes widened a little in realization and he made a face.  
"Lucky bastard Vincent…" Cid muttered, the unlit cigarette bouncing on his lip as he spoke.  
Tifa blushed but laughed as though it would hide it, "leave them be Cloud."  
"At least someone's getting some… and with Vincent too. Lucky bitch," Amaya wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at Cloud. Cid laughed as she echoed his earlier statement in a teasing manner. Tifa flushed brighter and turned on some music to provide some sort of comforting noise in the bar.

After a while Faye came down the stairs. Vincents cape was thrown around her shoulders She held onto it and carried it off the ground for it dragged thanks to her short height. She placed the cape on the table in his corner and tied the long red sash around her hips. She then flopped back to sit on the table with a content sigh.  
"So Vincent isn't too damaged then?" Amaya arched her brow at the blonde gunslinger who was trying to straighten one unruly Cloud-like spike of hair.  
"Couldn't you have waited till you got back to Nibelheim?" Cloud made a face at her.  
Faye shook her head, "tch no. I would have lost the urge by the time we got there."  
Cloud shook his head , "I don't want to know."  
"You are gonna explode if you don't work that sexual tension out Cloud," She smirked at him.  
"Shut up Faye," Cloud blushed like mad.  
"Wanna know something?" Faye gave a wolfish grin.  
"No. I don't particularly want to know how my friend is defiling my sister," the blonde swordsman through his hands up in the air.  
"It's good," She stated suggestively. She laughed hysterically at the blush on Tifa's face and the way Cloud plugged his ears like a child. Cid had also busted into hysterics and Amaya just shook her head.

Vincent came down the stairs drying his long hair with a towel some time after. He was clad in his leather pants with his shirt undone. The top of the pink scar was most visible among the many others that lined his muscled chest. His hair fell slightly into his face on the right side and he didn't bother trying to adjust it knowing that it would simply fall right back. Faye pulled a hair tie from her wrist and pulled his hair back in a loose pony tail at the nape of his neck. Yuffie tripped over a chair when she came in the door, her face tinted with red and her eyes wide. She let him untie the sash from her waist as she laughed at Yuffie. The ninja was staring at Vincent with her mouth agape. As Faye strung his came over his shoulders Yuffie stated, "Damn Vinny!"  
Faye nearly tumbled off the table from laughing so hard, "I know right?!"  
Vincent simply arched his brow as he watched Faye for a moment. He shook his head and smirked behind the high collar of his cape before buttoning up his shirt and going to find food.


	60. NOTICE!

HEY! So I know I totaly fooled you into thinking this was a new chapter but yeah. If you are one of my readers and you want to make your voice heard for the sequal of this story then please visit my profile and place your vote! I cant tell you what the choices will do but I can tell you that they will greatly affect the direction the story takes. So please please please come in and vote so i don't have to make an agonizing desision and have angry readers incase I made the wrong desision. :p  
I love you all dearly!


	61. A Gift of Trust

There were another few days of calm amid the storm. Faye was sitting near the fire with her sketch pad open on her knees and two pencils stuck behind her right ear. She held a blue one in her mouth as she switched out the two to mark down where she would later place shading and then swapped the two again. Vincent was seated in the chair a few feet away, cleaning his gun.  
Occasionally she would glance up at him from the corner of her eye, study him carefully before turning back to sketch a little more. She had captured his likeness with little to no effort at all. It would be the third picture drawn in the sketch pad, the first was a study of his pistol and the second was a study of Fenrir.

Vincent was well aware of her eyes as they passed over him, but he did not pay it any mind at all, she was content to draw and so he was content to remain still enough for her to study. He could hear the pencil leaving dark grey trails over the paper, a pause and a little more movement, a pause again, and a grown of frustration. The eraser drawn lightly over the mistake and then dropped onto the floor where it bounced into the sole of her boot.  
He startled her when he asked about her latest ink, and she was quite relieved he had chosen a moment when her pencil had yet to meet paper. She had gotten the Cerberus symbol set between the wings on her shoulders. The chained tail stretched down her spine and over her left hip a little.  
"Its already scabbed and peeled, you haven't seen it?" She tilted her head.  
"No I was gone with Neneki and Amaya," he told her as if reminding her was second nature even though he knew she remembered just as well.  
"And I was with Tifa and Yuffie, Right," She covered her face with her palm, "Sorry I forgot."

He gave a small gentle smile, and it went unconcealed for his cape hung loosely off the back of his chair. "Can I see it?"  
Faye sat her sketch pad down and tugged the pencils from behind her ear to discard them on the floor near her pad and eraser. She then stepped over toward him and she easily pulled her shirt over her head. She strode to the arm of the chair and turned her back toward him, tilting her head down a little. She felt his ungloved finders dance lightly across the marks as he studied it.  
" No there is no doubt about who's side I am on," she looked at him over her shoulder.  
"It looks good," he replied letting his fingers remain on her skin.  
She turned toward him and suddenly became serious, "can I give you something?"  
Vincent arched his brow at her, it was nearly hidden under his red sash, "you have something for me?"  
"I need your permission first Vincent," she pulled her shirt back on, watching as he pushed a now clean Cerberus back into its holster. "I have to take something to allow you to have it."  
"I trust you Faye," he murmured at her.

She nodded and climbed up in the chair with him to startle his hips. "It will hurt… but only for a moment," she held her gaze and looked into his crimson eyes.  
He caressed her face gently, "I will live."  
She would have smiled had she not known how easy it was for that statement to go wrong. She kissed his jaw and then kissed down his neck. The scent of his blood was strong. She leaned down and kissed the pulse of life below his skin one more time before gently pressing her sharp canines into his neck.  
They broke through and his arms tightened around her. She could practically see his eyes clenched tight and his teeth bared. The grip around her was constricting but she resisted to draw deeper. The small amount of blood that pushed past her teeth set her body on fire.

She stroked the side of his face with her thumb. He did not relax and the muscles in his neck contracted around her fangs as if trying to keep her from delving any deeper. She finally closed her teeth, sinking them deep into the flow of blood. The fire that was his life force flooded over her tongue. Her mind was searing and alive. It was amazing. She had never felt so much energy before.  
Memories flashed before her and she winced when the sensual pull turned painful. She ignored it and forced herself to watch the images. She was well aware of the fact that after the initial shock of pain it became very enjoyable to be fed from… it was just a way to relax the prey and keep them from thrashing about to much. Vincent gave a stifled groan of enjoyment and it sent a ripple of excitement through her.  
She couldn't help but moan against his neck and flick her tongue over his skin. He twitched slightly at the sensation before melting back into the chair. She broke away with a gasp. The way he was sitting in the chair twisted Cerberus onto the top of his thigh. His twitch had pushed the gun into a very sensitive part of her body. He shifted again and her body reacted accordingly. Her eyes hooded and she tugged at his hair, moaning. It wasn't exactly her fault vampires were sexual creatures.

Vincent could feel the blood pouring from the punctures. He might have worried had she not dipped her head to lick what had run from the wound and then flick her tongue over the pin holes to seal them.  
"If you keep teasing me with that gun I will take more than just your blood," she whispered roughly in his ear before kissing the little pink scars  
He gave a low growl that rumbled through him and into her. "You can not _take_ what is willingly given," his voice carried a husky note to it.  
She smiled at him and shifted to the side to push his holster back onto the side of his leg. She let her fingers trail across his thigh. She decided to test her gift. She locked his gaze with her silvery blue eyes. She probed into his mind, seeking just a little break. She found the wall that blocked her and it hovered in her minds eye like a red haze. She pushed ever so gently, "_Vincent let me in_."  
He could feel that someone had pushed against the barrier of his mind. A gentle voice urged him to allow access. He blinked. Faye seemed completely concentrated, her eyes were a little distant and glazed slightly. Tentatively he dropped the guard and waited. He was somewhat tense as her hand pressed lightly on his upper thigh completely aware of the contact and the vulnerability of letting someone into his mind.

She watched as the red disappeared allowing her access. His mind was split and she followed the gentler side she recognized.  
'_Speak to me Vincent, you are now completely connected to my mind as I am yours_,' she urged gently.  
'_Is this what your gift was?_' his deep voice easily played through her mind. She saw him quirk and eyebrow at her lightly as he tested the connection.  
'_Yes… I can only reach or hear you if I have taken your blood_,' she replied. A smile broke over her face, brilliant and shining, showing off her teeth. '_You can easily find me now… no matter how far away_,' she informed. On the outside Faye was grinning at the utter silence that hung over the unspoken conversation. She was sure that it would come in handy, for the horizon still promised destruction.

Vincent was aware of her sudden presence in his head. He took note that she didn't pry for the secrets he might have hidden or the memories, she was just there. She filled up the space inside him with a gentle calm. When her thoughts echoed over him and her mouth did not move, he couldn't help but feel a wave of surprise wash over him. This was an intimate thing she was sharing. She had given him unmonitored access to her thoughts and memories. On the outside he saw her smile and felt her fingers play in his hair. He couldn't help but notice just how beautiful she was. How much her gentle but marble features eased his pain from Lucrecia. This moment changed their relationship, with nothing more than a small gift of trust. They learned each other inside and out in the days that followed.


	62. Talk

"Faye! He's all yours!" Yuffie called from a few feet ahead of her.  
Faye easily stepped out from around the tree she had practically appeared near. With cool calm precision she drew her pistol, pointed it, sighted and fired twice, all in one smooth motion. They gun jumped in her trained hand, but she only set it directly back as she had it before in time to let the second shot ring only milliseconds after the first. The person they had spent the last hour chasing had attacked them.  
Amaya had a bullet in her shoulder and Yuffie had been grazed. Tifa closed in on the left as the bullets impacted and threw the man forward onto the dirt. Her eyes were hard as diamonds as she easily let her weapon down. She loosened her stance and sighed as she flipped open the gun so the barrel dropped away to rest over the trigger guard. She caught the two spent brass that came flying out of the cylinder with trained ease. She dropped the spent brass into her pocket and filled the empty chambers before flicking the gun shut and dropping it into the holster.  
She walked casually over to where Tifa had their target pinned to the ground. Faye crouched down onto her heels so that her arms rested on her knees. He was bleeding profusely from the bullet wounds to the back. Faye paused for a moment to look the wounds over before she spoke. "Who sent you?" Her voice was unnervingly calm.  
The man only grunted a curse in response.

Faye jabbed her fingers roughly into one of the bullet holes. A sharp wail of pain sputtered into silence. "Never mind… I feel generous today," she examined her bloodied fingers before lifting his chin so he was looking at her.  
"Go back to your master and tell him I said he needs to try a little bit harder if he wants my head on his wall," she purred. With that she turned about and stood up. She motioned for the others to fall into step next to her. She wiped the blood from her hand and listened carefully.  
He crawled to his feet and staggered. She waited. The sound of a hammer drawing back brought Hell Raiser sharply up. She fired a single round over her shoulder, level with the mans chest. He rocked backward on his heels and flopped onto the earth with a hollow thump. Without a second thought they departed.  
"Hey guys…" Faye mumbled as the topped the hill that gave an open view of a familiar old building. A golden gleam caught her eye on the crest of the hill across from the building. She knew the place far too well. "I… Have some things to do," She turned slightly, " I will be back before midnight."  
Yuffie gave her a confused look.  
Faye returned it with an apologetic one, "Yuffie let Vincent know for me will yah?"  
Yuffie nodded slowly before turning to follow Tifa.  
"I need your help with this bullet," Amaya whined.  
"If you get into my bag you will find a cure Materia, use that to keep infection away until I get back… I wont be long," Faye reassured her friend, "Vincent might be able to help if you ask it of him."  
Amaya nodded and hurried to catch up with the others.  
As soon as they were out of sight she disappeared into a blur of black that flashed erratically about in its direction of movement. In no time at all she had arrived at the hill top where the sun glinted off the gold hilt of a buster blade that held many memories. "Hey Zachary," she whispered. Her fingers brushed against the deep gouges on the blade. She heard something shift and a familiar grey wolf appeared.  
"Don't call me that," his voice made her smiled.  
She watched him shift shapes until before her stood the man she had known many years before.  
He flopped down next to her, "you seem happy."  
She nodded softly in return to him, "yeah… hey shouldn't you be with Aerith?"  
He faltered a little, "yeah, I suppose."  
"You should be with your love," she smiled warmly at him.  
"Look who's talking. Vincent is going to miss you," Zack eyed her.  
"I know, I just needed to see this old sword," she said softly. Again her hands caressed it gently, gliding over the old rusted surface. "It needs a tune up," she mused softly her mind far away.

"Yeah, brings back memories huh?" a small smile flickered sheepishly across his face.  
"I miss having you around Zack," she murmured softly.  
"I am with you always Fye," he told her gently.  
Her fingers caressed the Fenrir pendant around her neck.  
"Cloud misses you too," she looked down.  
"He is happy again, his family is almost complete," Zack told her.  
"I have a question…" she ventured tentatively. She already knew what he would say to her.  
He remained quiet.  
"What is happening with Alpha and Beta?" She asked.  
"You know I can not tell you," his face fell in a grimace.  
"Does anyone die?" She tried another question more specific.  
"Yes," Zack whispered almost inaudibly.  
"I… see," she choked a little on the tightness of her throat.  
"Faye… have faith in Aerith and myself. The person who leaves will leave by request," he told her.  
She nodded, "Alright… I trust you Zack… why did you not let us fight. Why did you sacrifice yourself?"  
She felt his hand flatten over her unusual hair and set it askew slightly, "It's a protective older brother thing."  
"Zack I am older than you by many, many years," she pouted, "I had a vampire infused in me… I could have helped."  
"Faye, I understand that… it was my time," he said softly.  
Faye jutted her lip out and huffed childishly.  
"You look too much like the Chocobo head…" Zack laughed as he tugged and pulled her gravity defying hair. When he drew his hand away she noticed in the reflection of his eyes that her own were smoldering Mako blue.  
"OH! Happy very late birthday from Aerith and I," he chirped. She felt three cool objects pressed into her palm. She glanced down at them. A Master Summon Knights of the Round, a silver braced inlayed with a wolfs head and an un-mastered Summon she had never seen before.

She slipped the bracer onto her left arm and smiled when the two visible materia slots gleamed back at her. She slipped the Knights of the Round into the first slot. It shrank slightly to fit snugly. Her gaze turned back to the swirling black and gold Summon. At its heart was a hazy image. A set of bared fangs and glowing eyes was all she could make out.  
Faye looked up at him, her eye brows knitted together in question, "this is not something I have ever seen before."  
"I wouldn't think so. It is very special," the SOLDIER nodded, "A double summon is something created by the planet… The first was too strong so the second is there to keep the other in check."  
Her eyes widened, "Not possible! There is no such thing."  
"It took a long time to find, it used to belong to a very special person," The blue eyed male stated.  
"Father…" she felt the orb glow brilliantly in her palm.  
Zack nodded, "however it is un-mastered. He could not master it."  
Fayes face set hard as she pressed it into place on the bracer. Determination flashed in her eyes for a moment.  
"You better get going," he told her lightly.  
"Alright… thanks for this," she flashed the bracer at him.  
He gave a small grin before fading.

When Faye returned she was drenched to the bone. The sky had opened up on her as she walked back to the bar. She came through the door shaking water from her hands. Her hair was slick with the water and it drooped over her face, dripping water down her cheeks and nose. Her smoldering Mako eyes shown behind her wet bangs. Vincent looked up from where he was trying to work on Amaya.  
"Think you can help me out?" Amaya groaned.  
"The lead is in about a hundred pieces," Vincent sighed.  
"Alright," she nodded and peeled her sopping trench from her back and then her gloves.  
It took the better part of an hour to get all the pieces Vincent hadn't already managed to get out. With her experience of patching up wounds on herself she managed to get all the bits of metal out without tearing things up too much. When she handed Vincent the bowel full of metal shards and water she pressed her palm over the hole and cast heal easily. She heaved a sigh when she was done.  
"Where did you get the bracer?" Cloud asked as Tifa helped clean up and Red assisted a woozy Amaya to her room.  
"Zack and Aerith… god a mater summon Knights of the Round and a double summon un-mastered," she said.  
Vincent could feel how weary she really was.  
"You should rest," Vincent told her.  
"I still have one more thing…" she mumbled tiredly in a stubborn manner.  
"Tomorrow," Vincent finalized as he swept her into his arms and carried her easily up the stairs to the room they would share.


	63. Forgivness

Vincent was not surprised to find her gone at daybreak. He still couldn't fathom just how she managed to escape his grasp without even waking him at all. It was the same on many occasions. He would wake to find a pillow wrapped in his arms where Faye had fallen so easily into a peaceful sleep. With an amused smirk he thought she would make a better ninja than Yuffie was at times. Shaking his head he got up and gave a stiff stretch. A note rested on her side of the bed where her pillow would have been had he not woken with it clutched against his chest.

" My love,  
I will return in a day. My job requires me to travel a ways. If anything I can't handle comes up I will call so don't worry too much. I love you, and I am sorry for leaving you to wake alone. See you soon.  
Faye."

Faye was already quite a ways away. Her sleek bike of bright silver, resembling Clouds Fenrir, roared under her as she sped along the road. She reached her destination at about mid day. Parking her bike she gave a stretch to loosen up the muscles in her back . Thanks to the map provided by what Mai had absorbed from Chaos, she found her way easily to what she sought.  
She followed the path that was hardly seen under the over growth. The mouth of the cave was dark and gaping before her. Faye paused for a moment. She was momentarily content to gaze down into the darkness that was lingering in the mouth of the cave. She was content to stall. She finally gave in and heaved a sigh before submerging herself into the dark.  
The tunnel was dotted with glowing Mako crystals. When she was sure she would have to stop and rest for a little while the shaft finally opened up into a wide cavernous chamber. The blazing crystals lit the spacious room with a beautiful blue light. She strode forward slowly, almost as if she really did not want to. Faye paused at the edge of the pool of water, surrounding a huge crystal pillar. At the heart of the Mako pillar was the person of interest. She ground her teeth together.  
"You…" She growled, "How could you?"  
There was no answer. The only sound was her voice as it echoed off the walls back at her. She had almost been hoping for a reply, a laugh a snide remark something… anything. However she didn't really expect it to happen.  
"How could you!?" Faye yelled. Her eyes flashed her anger as tears swelled.  
Her voice sent ripples over the water at her feet.  
'So sorry.' There was her reply and yet it wasn't what she had wanted at all. The voice that spoke was heavy with remorse.  
"You…you broke me. I was content to see him so happy… you killed him!" Her tears fell freely down her cheeks now. Each little droplet sent ripples over the waters surface.  
"Have you seen what you did?" Faye whispered.  
'So sorry'

"Why did you let it happen in the first place?" Faye looked up at the woman before her. For a moment she forgot everything. She was so beautiful… no wonder Vincent fell for her so hard.  
'Faye…'  
She blinked, seeing tears slip down Lucrecia's cheek and hearing the woman speak her name.  
'I am so sorry.'  
Faye bit her lip, "I should hate you…how badly I want to loath your very existence." Faye fell onto her knees, her hands dangling on the earth under her. "For all my strength… I can not."  
'Make him happy.'  
"You kept him alive… it was a horrible thing you did… but still he is here now because of what you did. For this and only this… I forgive you," Faye said through her tears.  
'Thank you.'  
She let go. Relentlessly the tears from so many years of holding back spilled down her face, staining the ground. Eventually she cried herself to sleep. Her dreams were fitful flashes of her memories. His face, his voice… that's how it started.

****

'Faye,' his deep voice was but a throaty growl. For a brief moment she saw wisps of long silky black hair, and him moving over her. His eyes burned down at her, full of passion and hunger. That was gone and it was replaced with his smiling visage in their youth. Cloud…Cid…Tifa…Yuffie…Neneki, and Barret. Then Zack's face smeared with blood as he said goodbye. There were brief moments of the many battles she had fought. A moment of Hojo holding a pistol, Lucrecias horrified face and Vincent dying on the floor. Agony of loss would flood her and she whimpered.

_She had yelled, sobbed, forgiven and cried herself to sleep. Lucrecia watched as she thrashed about in unwelcome dreams. Deep down she wanted to reach out and comfort the woman, smooth the creases of pain from her forehead. She listened closely and heard her whimper.  
_"Vincent! Oh Lucrecia what have you done?" tears spilled over Fayes closed lashes.  
_Lucrecia was suddenly aware of a very unwelcome presence entering her tomb. Fear swelled in her chest and she reached out to wake the woman curled on the earth.  
_**  
"Faye" a familiar voice prodded at her. "You must get up!" The woman appeared before her. Lucrecia. Faye furrowed her brow.  
"You must hide!" Lucrecia said urgently. Her head shifted to look at something Faye couldn't see.  
"Wake up! Hurry they are coming!"  
**Quite suddenly she was jerked from her dream.

Faye woke when something sharp dug into her neck. It was all too familiar. Her vision blurred but she saw the face of Hojo as everything went black.  
"Why wont… you just stay….dead," she bit out as she gave into the darkness of the sedative.  
She woke again with a pounding headache. She found herself in a black room and she groaned, "this is becoming far too familiar." She reached into the top of her boot and pulled out her cell. A text would have to suffice for her mind was still hazy. The phone fell away when she was plucked from the floor rather toughly. She gave a woozy snarl as they dragged her. Inside she struggled desperately to rouse the vampire inside herself.


	64. So it Begins

'They Found Me!'

The words loomed like black demons on the shining white backgrounds of the phones. The message had arrived at the same time. The whole group had pulled their phones out simultaneously and read the message.  
Vincent gave a low guttural snarl that put Neneki to shame.  
"Yuffie get the tracker," Cloud stated as he adjusted the straps that held his sword to his back.  
Tifa was surprised just how quickly everyone set about getting ready. She quickly emptied the bar, apologizing and saying that there was an emergency.  
"She has the bot with her," Amaya stated, as she slid her katanas easily into their place.  
"Sith try to reach him," Reeve stated.  
Vincent turned toward the door as soon as Cloud stepped past him.  
"Relay with us over the COM set, we are heading out," Cloud stated double checking his sword and the little ear piece in his ear. He pulled his goggles over his eyes as he turned and stepped toward Fenrir.  
Neneki followed swiftly with Cait upon his head.  
Cloud watched Vincent grip his cape before sweeping it around himself and becoming nothing more than a swirling mass of red that darted sporadically about before shooting off.

"Got her!" Yuffie cried. Fenrir's roaring engine nearly drown out the ninjas voice.  
"Where?" Cloud asked diligently.  
"City of the Ancients," Yuffie replied.  
"Alright," Cloud grumbled. He cussed when he lost sight of Vincent. He had never seen the ex-Turk move quite this fast.  
"We have a transmission from the robot," Reeve chimed." The line crackled and then distinct voices were heard.

Faye was dragged down the hall of the makeshift laboratory. She tried to struggle but it did little good as her body wouldn't cooperate. She heard a familiar chuckle and her blood ran cold.  
"Can you not find peace in your death?" She hissed.  
"For you my pet I would traverse death," Hojo's voice was sickeningly sweet.  
"You wont get anything you want from me," she growled. The sound was low and guttural even with her closeness to the edge of the dark.  
"We will see," he replied.  
She was thrown violently onto a table, jarring her. The sound reverberated into nothingness, fading against the old tile floors and the sheetrock in the walls. There it would be joined by unheard screams, of pain, fury, and sorrow. There it would wait for the moment when it could break free and tell the story… but it would never have its chance. A light blinded her.  
"You won't find it," she stated again.  
"Then I will simply look for myself, if it is not there then I suppose your body would suffice," he sneered, wielding the tool of his manic power. The tool of her former destruction. The scalpel blade gleamed, the shaft of light running along the angled edge that would bite into her flesh. It taunted her openly.  
"Couldn't you have just stayed dead when Vincent got you last time?" She tugged at her wrists. The leather ties held strong, only squeaking against the metal of the table. They were mocking her attempts in feeble little voices that held no sway. Oh how she wanted to snap them… tear right through and leave them broken and useless.

Hojo gave a snort at the name she spoke, "He is weak and useless."  
Her protest rose into her mouth and flooded through her eyes. She wanted to scream, to leap up and strangle him. No… that was far to quick a death. Her eyes smoldered dangerously, the pupils turning ever so slightly cat like as she battled inside to find the strength to break away.  
"It is a shame… Lucrecia was a failure… You might produce a better offspring to my former experiment than she did," Hojo sighed, "but if you do not have what I seek then I will have to waste your body on the awakening."  
She cried out in defiance finally, her voice somewhere between a shriek and a roar. "Over my dead body. I would kill myself before I carried your child!" She arched away from the table as though it burned her.  
Hojo only cackled madly at her and watched as she struggled.  
The leather bindings finally grew tired of her struggles and bit into her wrists. Small bits of blood dripped onto the silver surface under her. She bared her teeth at him, "He will make sure you don't come back. You better hope I get you before he does… no you better pray that someone else finds you first."  
Finally he had heard enough.  
The blade dug into the old scar and she stifled the cry as she had all those years ago. Her mastered silence didn't last long as he snapped into her ribcage. A startled yell rushed from her lungs, knocking the air out of her. Mai's unconscious mind fought to keep him away from her internals. Faye wished silently that for this reason alone she was not an immortal. Finally when she could no longer stand it she called for the only person she knew could hear.

"Vincent!" Her cry was deafening in his ears. He had long since removed his ear piece to avoid hearing her shrill yells. The sound of his own name bouncing off the walls of his mind startled him. Drawing a deep breath Vincent focused in on the scent of her blood. It drew him towards her.

Mai woke with a vengeance. A roar leapt from her throat at just about the same time Vincent's fuming form burst through the door. Four shots fired in rapid succession cut her bindinfs and she flew toward the semi human form that was Flint. She clasped her chest with one hand to keep things together. She was already healing from the inside out.  
Vincent intercepted her, swirling his cape about her and holding her close to him. She saw nothing but red as her feet left the ground and they were darting back through the trees that shown like moon light.  
She heard Fenrir's roaring engine cut and Vincent stopped moving. She panted as the bones mended far quicker than they ever had. She writhed against his chest, groaning as Mai healed up the damage done. Vincent held onto her, smoothing out her hair gently. When she finally calmed she was still shaking slightly. Her body trembled against him and he held her tighter.

He buried his face in the crook of her neck when the others caught up at last. All was silent. This was the first show of affection from him while in the presence of the others. Faye mellowed considerably in his arms. She felt him shake once and for a very brief moment she thought he might have let his emotions get the better of him. She shoved it away and pulled back lightly. Her arms screamed at her and the warmth of his body begged for her contact. She did her best to ignore it completely.  
"Beta is separating…" she informed.  
As if to emphasize her words a huge form rose behind her.  
Faye… you and Vincent need to destroy it," Cloud stated as he popped open the compartments on his bike. The multiple swords hummed darkly. Like wind chimes for-telling the coming of a vicious storm, they sang and slid into place as he clipped them all together. She could practically feel the weapons vibrations through her boots. It was telling her to kill… to spill the blood of her enemy.  
"Vincent, Hojo is all yours once we finish this army," Barret said. Next to him Tifa slipped her hands into gloves and Yuffie was stretching. Amaya stood stoically her eyes closed no doubt in concentration and prayer. The rage was rolling in waves from the gunner next to her. His face was set hard and his burning eyes flashed between the red and yellow.

Faye panted as she buckled her trench closed over her cut up shirt. She shook a little and her eyes were bleeding in black. Suddenly she was shaking all over. Her black gaze swept over them once. Little spider webs of chrome were starting to crawl over the solid black surface of her eyes.  
Amaya knew this look, she had seen her lose control before and it was not a pretty prospect. "Faye… Go!" Amaya yelled as she drug out her blades and darted for the on coming war.  
The others saw Faye spin about, causing her jacket to fan out behind her and then her image flickered and she was gone.  
"She doesn't make a sound… not even her coat rippling," Tifa gave a shudder.  
"They will engage the enemy first," Cloud mumbled.  
"Let's go." Vincent made the final decision and they shot after the two woman.


	65. Gone Again END

**Hey guys L's Fenris Here.  
I am going to inform all of my beautiful dedicated readers that FINALY I AM DONE!  
****After many frustrating dream filled nights in which this story is all that played in my head.  
I have finaly completed the first part. ALSO. I am going to involve both of the people you voted for in the sequal.  
Because of some twists I want to throw in I have just decided to do it that way.  
So tell me what you think and remember to give me some time to get moving on the sequal before you get impatient!  
Lotsa love,  
L's Fenris signing off.**

* * *

Metal clashed with metal as Amaya met sword to sword with a tall man in armor. Hell Raiser thundered from all directions. The rolling sounds of gunfire reverberating and echoing around them in untraced patterns. The sea of green armor seemed endless as it poured from the shadowed form of Beta. Men dropped from their ranks with each shot fired from the gun only marked by the muzzle flash.  
AVALANCHE leapt head long into battle, just as they always had. There was no sense of fear in them, only the need to survive another fight. Death though always hanging on the balance was the last thing in any of their minds. They were together and as long as one of them was breathing there would always be someone to fight for the right cause. They battled hard for a long time, and still in this fight it seemed like they were getting nowhere.

Faye remained unpredictable. Making sure that the enemy could not beat her to the punch and catch her off guard. She blasted away with her fire materia while she reloaded her pistol. There was not a moment when she was not on the attack. There was no way she was going to chance leaving an opening for them to get at her. If the materia wasn't in use then her gun spat lead with deadly accuracy.  
She thrust her braced into the air and yelled out, "Judgment! I summon you! Knights of the Round." Ribbons of light burst forth in a spill of destruction. The intensity of the light made her turn her gaze away to avoid being flash blinded.  
Cloud heard the Summon and watched as it made short work of a third of the army before losing energy and disappearing. It left a plane of death in its wake. He grimaced a little when he say Faye lung forward suddenly and grab a man by the shoulder. She drove her fangs into his throat and ripped out his windpipe. She spat the flesh from her mouth and filled the empty chambers on her gun. No doubt the quick and messy feed was useful to replenish her energy.  
She rushed back toward the others. Reaching them in record time she fell into place between Cloud and Amaya. Amaya took the opportunity to let loose with a water materia. Faye backed it with Thundara. The electricity swirled about the conductive water and hit with amazing force.  
"Faye the double!" Cloud called out to her locking swords before shoving his opponent away, "Take out the last two thirds!"  
She closed her eyes and the words formed in her mind. "Judgment, I summon you ODIN!"  
The materia flashed and suddenly a great towering figure rose the back of a war horse. Odin dealt damage quickly leveling another third in short order. Feeling the hold on this summon weaken she spoke the final words, "Odin Release! I call upon Fenrir!" All at once her Odin summon gave a shriek and withered. In his place towered a huge wolf, the size of Bahamut.

It took the last of the army who had turned to flee. The summon turned toward them and snarled. However as Faye approached it, the beast crouched down and allowed her to climb up onto its back. "To destroy Beta!" She yelled and the beast was gone in one giant leap. Vincent gave Chaos control and darted after them. Deftly Amaya gave chase as well.  
Faye met up with Chaos as she downed a blue vial ether to help keep her mana up to sustain the summon. She led Chaos deep into the structure until she found the huge mako chambers that ran the thing. She set a charge. She raced back through the maze of halls toward the opening. She had ordered Fenrir to keep the thing from moving and so the huge summon held it firmly in his teeth.  
Two things happened all at once. Amaya leapt in front of them and a gun went off. Faye turned and took the gunner down with one shot. The bullet bit into the side of his head, sending him spiraling around to the floor.  
"Let's get out of here!" she yelled as she scooped up her friend.  
Chaos did not argue, he only gripped her arm and sped the pace up a little more. Behind them the form exploded into a shower of fragments and the summon deactivated.  
Faye crouched near Amaya who was convulsing in pain.  
"Don't let them have my memories!" She begged.  
"I can not take them myself," Faye replied, smoothing a strand of dark hair from the woman's pale face. The bullet had torn through her stomach.  
"There is no fixing this Faye… And you know they can not know what I have stored away," Amaya tried to reason.  
Faye refused unable to see herself taking her friends life.  
"Do it!" Amaya roared suddenly.  
Faye gave a snarl and drove her teeth into Amaya's throat. She took in everything.  
Amaya's hands clutched at Fayes jacket, the pain making her eyes go wide. After a few moments, the muscles relaxed and a small sigh of joy left her lips as she faded away.  
Faye clenched her eyes against the pain and rode it out. She had ended one of her best friends.

AVALANCHE watched it unfold. The angry demanded and the angry agreement. When Amayas eyes closed in death, Faye broke away with a sharp gasp. She clung to the body of her friend, holding it against her chest as she rocked back onto her heels. She felt cool hands brush against her down turned face and she could almost see the bangles on Aeriths wrists. The body in her arms dissolved into a mist of glittering green and she was gone. They watched as Faye lifted her face toward the sky, rising to her feet with her hands held out and palms turned up. Deep crimson tears traced trails of red over her pale cheeks. The little droplets rolled off her face and down her neck to disappear into the collar of her trench coat. All of a sudden the sky let loose with rain, as if it were trying to comfort her.  
"Humans are so selfish," she whispered.  
Her chrome eyes were coated in a crimson film. They only noticed this when she turned to look at them.  
"Let us end this once and for all," she said. Her gaze swept over all of the ones she had come to know as family. The rain dragged her hair down making her once spiky bangs hand over her eyes nearly hiding them.

Cloud shouldered his sword and nodded, "you know all about this. We follow your lead."  
She glanced up at Chaos, the demon gave her a nod.  
"Alright… I will have to get inside. There are some computers there. I will need to enter the cod before it fully rises… if I can do that we have only a moment to get our before it self destructs," she warned.  
"Leave the small stuff to us," Tifa stated as she stretched her gloved hand.  
"Yeah! You get her inside Vince," Yuffie pumped her fist in the air.  
Chaos nodded and easily plucked the vampire from her feet. They all covered the small distance together. Neneki engaged the first three guards at the entrance in a blaze of flames, "Good luck Cub." Faye watched as his form disappeared around a corner. Barret was the next to fight as they progressed. Then Yuffie, Tifa and finally Cloud. She watched each one fade off.  
She knew there were two more at least… one for her and one for Chaos. "Hojo where are you yah twisted bastard," she singsonged.  
"Come out and play you sick Fuck," Chaos snarled as he joined her taunting.  
"So we meet yet again," A sickeningly familiar chuckle sounded from their left. Chaos easily set Faye on her feet. He remembered this voice too well… almost as well as he knew Hojos.  
Weiss appeared from the shadows.  
Faye gave a hiss of displeasure at the new yet recognized face. She should have known that Hojo being the coward he was, wouldn't show himself.  
"You are dead," Chaos growled.  
"Thanks to Genesis I am very much alive," Weiss chuckled.  
"Leave him to me, you go," Chaos's grating voice jerked her around. She nodded and was sprinting down the hall as the battle broke out behind her.

The map in her head turned and swiveled as she made her way deep into the beast of metal, mako and lifestream. When she finaly found what she was looking for she set right to work. Her fingers flew over the keyboard, the resounding clicks, as she tapped in the code that scrolled quickly through her mind, filled the room. Line after line of code flew up on the screen so quickly that the computer seemed to be having a hard time keeping track. The ground rumbled and sirens began blaring.  
Her heart clenched tightly in her chest when a voice chimed over the intercoms somewhere, "3 minutes remaining to deactivate." She sped up a little and was sure she would finish with time to spare. Roughly she was jerked backwards away from the keypad. A cuss left her lips, all she had to do was press enter.  
Faye cratered the far wall upon impact and she groaned at the pain that rippled through her. Flint hovered before her, his eyes glowing with mako. She launched at him, knocking him out of the way. Striving to reach that button she leapt and stretched her hand out as far as she could. A hand closed around her legs and she was spun around and thrown across the floor. She was engaged in a heated fight the moment she got to her feet.  
Shoot, shoot, kick, swing, shoot, swing, block, counter. Two bullets slammed him to the floor. She lunged around him for the button again, got tackled into the wall, and a blade pierced through her shoulder. She gave an angry yell and planted her boot square on his crotch and gave the most forceful kick she could manage. Somehow he landed on his feet and skidded away, partially doubled over. A tremor sent them both sliding into the far wall.  
"Fifty nine seconds remaining to disable," the voice warned.

Faye gathered her striking amethyst aura from her being. It flared all around her, electric and alive and glowing. Her wings suddenly spread wide from her shoulders. They filled the tiny space becoming menacingly sharp against their own shadows. She raced forward to meet her adversary for the final time. She didn't try to move when he poised to skewer her through. Her hand reached out and tipped the blade down, sinking it into her thigh. She raised her gun where a crackling sparking ball of brilliant amethyst energy had built up. She fired it at point blank into his chest and at the same time her wings lashed forward and cut him into three pieces. He disintegrated and she tore the sword from her thigh and slammed the Tsuba down on the key. Staggering a little she turned and raced for the exit. She could make… if only to get free of the walls.

Vincent watched as the detonation count began.  
Yuffie cheered, "she did it!" Her enthusiasm was not carried by the others for the fact that Faye still had not emerged.  
"Come on Fye," Cloud whispered.  
Another anxious silence passed until again Yuffie yelled, "There she is!"  
Vincent's heart raced, she was alive. His relief quickly turned when he saw how she struggled. The count down sounded, "3..." Time seemed to slow and he became aware of the two figures standing on the brink of the exit. One was holding a ball of energy in his hand. "2..." Fayes eyes closed, her wings stretched out desperately trying to pull at the sky and carry her away from the danger. "1..." He had started racing forward. "0..." A dark void opened up and suddenly the three figures were being drawn away. Alpha crumbled down.

"FAYE!" his voice tore from his throat accompanying a bright glowing ball of light that ripped from his chest. It sent a wave of pain over her and he stumbled. Cloud and Neneki caught up and steadied him, holding him back. A shockwave reverberated around them and the ball of energy that had come from Vincents chest raced toward Fayes flailing form. The void folded in on itself and was gone.  
Silence filled the whole world it seemed. Vincent fell still, his eyes wide with emotions that were hardly ever seen. Bits of debris floated through the glowing city to settle on the ground. A single razor sharp feather of angelic white-blue fell at Vincent's feet. All of the team was utterly silent… unsure of how to react much less morn something that had happened so quickly.  
A void filled him slowly. He had been granted a second chance and he had yet again failed. The hand that was contracting around his heart gave a sudden twitch. He fell to his knees as the beating thing shattered and the pieces fell away inside his chest. He sat there, staring up at the last place he had seen her.  
Cloud drove his sword deep into the earth, "Damn it!" "Come on Zack did you have to take her too!?" Cloud yelled throwing his head back to gaze up at the down pour of rain.  
"Aerith weeps…" Neneki mumbled, "the planet weeps."  
Vincent looked down at his reflection in the puddles forming on top of the mud.  
He reached out and carefully lifted the feather from the mud. He gently wiped the grime from the smooth bolt and turned it. It glowed gently in his grasp and somewhere he felt a wave of reassurance wash over him.  
"She is alive," he stated.  
"Vincent…" Cloud mumbled.  
"She is still alive… I can feel her…" Vincent stated again. He was still held tightly against chest of the monster they all knew as grief and pain.  
"Then we will find her Vincent," Cloud told him.  
"We need to tell Shin-Ra… he may be able to help look for her," Tifa whispered.  
Vincent slipped the feather into his pocket and staggered to his feet. He let himself slip back into his old self… she might still be alive… but he had failed to protect her. For the second time… she was gone with no sign of where she had left to and how long she would be there.


End file.
